Inspire others to beautify their yards by entering yourself, a friend or a neighbor in the fifth annual Yard of the Month contest.

Sponsored by the City of Sioux City, Sioux City Journal and the Sioux City Neighborhood Network, the Yard of the Month program recognizes Sioux Cityans who work hard to keep their yard and the community looking attractive.

Jim Jung, chairman of the Yard of the Month committee, said a nice yard enhances the value of the house and the neighborhood.

"It's also good exercise and a good stress reliever. Overall, it beautifies the city. Having a nice yard seems to spread like wildfire. When people see beautiful yards, they want to copy them," said Jung, who is also a member of the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce's Community Enhancement Committee.

Entriesfor Yard of the Month will be chosen from ANY region of Sioux City during the months of May through September.

Each month, a group of judges will choose a winner from the entries. The winner will receive a $25 cash award, a yard sign, presentation of the award at a city council meeting and recognition in theSioux City Journal.

In October (or earlier, depending on the weather), a Yard of the Year will be chosen from the entries. The winner for the year will receive a $50 cash award, a yard sign, and recognition by the City Council and the Sioux City Journal.

This year, Neighborhood Network will be donating the cash awards for the Yard of the Month program.

Applications for Yard of the Month must be received no later than the 15th of the prior month, and the winners will be announced in the Sioux City Journal's HOME section the second Sunday of the month, starting in May. The Yard of the Month will also be publicized in the Sioux City calendar, on the Sioux City website, in the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce newsletter, and on entry forms.

The criteria for judging the Yard of the Month include appearance of house (windows and paint), lawn mowed and trimmed, overall appearance - free of litter, weeds and clutter, mulched flowerbeds, bushes and trees, creativity and originality, sound landscape practices, appearance and condition of flowers, maintained bushes and trees, homeowner creation, and overall appearance from the curb.

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Make your yard stand out

It can be hard to know how to turn a traditional turf landscape into a water-saving showcase, but the San Diego County Water Authority is sponsoring several free classes around the region to help homeowners do just that.

The first WaterSmart Landscape Makeover Workshop series will be held in Kearny Mesa starting April 30, followed by a separate series in Encinitas that starts May 3 and another in El Cajon that begins May 10. Each series includes four classes held at the same location over several weeks. Additional series are being scheduled.

Covered topics include analyzing participants landscapes, creating landscape designs, choosing plants and using efficient irrigation systems. Participants will walk through key steps to retrofit a turf area of their landscapes and prepare a WaterSmart landscape design for implementation. Classes are taught by local landscape industry professionals.

Details about class times, locations and how to register are at WaterSmartSD.org

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Free classes for yard makeovers

Many people think of landscaping as a strictly garden venture; however, this is not true. Landscaping principles can be applied to the entire yard for a more attractive and appealing appearance. In this article, we will discuss some ways to give your home greater curb appeal with simplelandscaping tips for the yard. Read on to learn more.

Keeping container plants outdoors on your patio, porch or deck is a great way to give these areas a homey appeal. You can keep more delicate plants this way because these areas tend to be sheltered, and it is easy to cover delicate plants during freezing weather when they are close to the house and contained.

Be sure to pull your homes look together by applying a layer of attractive mulch to your container plants and to all your garden beds and under your shrubs. Having a nice looking mulch on all planted surfaces gives a uniform look that is inexpensive and easy to achieve.

Good landscaping includes pruning and trimming. Be sure to keep your bushes and shrubs nicely shaped and trimmed. Attend to any perennial plantings by dead-heading flowers and spent foliage. Pick up all dead windfall branches and other debris and rake up your leaves. If you have a place for compost, be sure to compost your yard debris to feed your plants and bushes in future.

Another area of landscaping that is often overlooked is water. Be sure to attend to any water features you may have, such as ponds, fountains and birdbaths. Keep them clean and free of algae, bug and mosquito infestations. Brisbane Landscaper improves your backyards and to name a few: they make sure all mechanical aspects of your water system from faucets to water pumps to irrigation are in good working order. If you have leaky faucets, puddles of water surrounding your irrigation or rusty fixtures on your water features, it is unsightly.

Another unsightly thing that can ruin your best efforts at landscaping is grime. Keep your paths, porches, deck and driveway swept. Hose and scrub them as needed. Use a power washer if necessary.

Great landscaping encompasses your entire yard. Follow the tips presented here to keep your outdoor domain attractive.

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Tag Archive for landscape

Florida State QB Jameis Winston was the second straight redshirt freshman to win the Heisman Trophy.

Rich Graessle/Icon SMI

In light of your outpouring of questions in response to last week's call to action, I figured why wait the extra week for another Mailbag?

Hi Stewart, since you're in need of football-related questions, here's one: Do you think there's a clear preseason Heisman Trophy candidate this year, other than Jameis Winston? Marcus Mariota seems to be a logical choice, but I also think that Auburn's Nick Marshall and perhaps Georgia's Todd Gurley could have stellar seasons. Plus, I just don't think Winston will be as good without the arsenal of receivers he had last year, namely Kelvin Benjamin. -- RJ, Portland, Ore.

Now that we've seen two straight redshirt freshmen (academic sophomores) break through and win the Heisman Trophy, is it inevitable that a true freshman will win the award soon? -- Matt Farrell, New Albany, Ohio

I hate to break it to you, but there's no such thing as a preseason Heisman favorite anymore. We'll keep putting out watch lists, sure, but a player no longer needs preseason recognition to claim the prize. Three of the past five winners -- Cam Newton (2010), Johnny Manziel ('12) and Winston ('13) -- had not played for their team the year before they won the trophy. Alabama's Mark Ingram ('09) was a backup the year before he won. Baylor's Robert Griffin III ('11) had name recognition, but he wasn't on many short lists heading into the season, and he still beat out a guy, Andrew Luck, who was about as overwhelming a preseason frontrunner as you could find.

And repeating is almost impossible. New wide receivers or not, one thing fans can say with near certainty right now is that if Florida State is anything less than 13-0 again entering Heisman weekend this fall, Winston will not hoist a second trophy. Just ask Manziel, whose passing stats all improved considerably in 2013 (save for four extra interceptions), but he ran less, lost twice as many games and, thus, finished a distant fifth in Heisman voting.

ELLIS: Which redshirt freshmen are poised to break out in the 2014 season?

I'm not yet ready to say that a preseason dark horse will start winning the Heisman every year. Mariota, Marshall and Gurley all have excellent chances. Ditto for Ohio State's Braxton Miller, Baylor's Bryce Petty, UCLA's Brett Hundley, Alabama's T.J. Yeldon and Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon, among others. But now, more than ever, the Heisman is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately award. Mariota seemed like he had taken command of the race last season, but as soon as Oregon suffered its first loss against Stanford on Nov. 7, he was done. Conversely, Tre Mason did not garner a sniff of consideration until his 304-yard rushing explosion in the SEC title game on Dec. 7. So, in some ways, preseason hype works against a candidate. It gives him an early leg up, but as soon as he suffers a setback, voters knock him off the throne in favor of the latest flavor. It's hard to come back from that.

As for true freshmen, absolutely, one could win soon. That's especially the case given how many are starting and playing major roles for title contenders, as I wrote about in February. However, it's going to take an exceptionally rare talent now that the Heisman is such a quarterback-dominated award. Then-Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson finished in second in 2004 when he rushed for 1,843 yards for a 12-0 team. Would that happen today? Or does the trophy have to go to a quarterback? If the latter, it becomes exponentially more difficult. The idea of a redshirt freshman like Manziel or Winston who had a full year (or more) in a system putting together a Heisman-worthy season is one thing. Yet even the most talented true freshmen starters, like USC's Matt Barkley in '09 or Penn State's Christian Hackenberg last year, generally don't have immediate, overwhelming success. Most likely it will be a running back for a playoff contender. Perhaps LSU's Leonard Fournette?

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Examining the changing Heisman Trophy landscape; more mail

Florida State QB Jameis Winston was the second straight redshirt freshman to win the Heisman Trophy.

Rich Graessle/Icon SMI

In light of your outpouring of questions in response to last week's call to action, I figured why wait the extra week for another Mailbag?

Hi Stewart, since you're in need of football-related questions, here's one: Do you think there's a clear preseason Heisman Trophy candidate this year, other than Jameis Winston? Marcus Mariota seems to be a logical choice, but I also think that Auburn's Nick Marshall and perhaps Georgia's Todd Gurley could have stellar seasons. Plus, I just don't think Winston will be as good without the arsenal of receivers he had last year, namely Kelvin Benjamin. -- RJ, Portland, Ore.

Now that we've seen two straight redshirt freshmen (academic sophomores) break through and win the Heisman Trophy, is it inevitable that a true freshman will win the award soon? -- Matt Farrell, New Albany, Ohio

I hate to break it to you, but there's no such thing as a preseason Heisman favorite anymore. We'll keep putting out watch lists, sure, but a player no longer needs preseason recognition to claim the prize. Three of the past five winners -- Cam Newton (2010), Johnny Manziel ('12) and Winston ('13) -- had not played for their team the year before they won the trophy. Alabama's Mark Ingram ('09) was a backup the year before he won. Baylor's Robert Griffin III ('11) had name recognition, but he wasn't on many short lists heading into the season, and he still beat out a guy, Andrew Luck, who was about as overwhelming a preseason frontrunner as you could find.

And repeating is almost impossible. New wide receivers or not, one thing fans can say with near certainty right now is that if Florida State is anything less than 13-0 again entering Heisman weekend this fall, Winston will not hoist a second trophy. Just ask Manziel, whose passing stats all improved considerably in 2013 (save for four extra interceptions), but he ran less, lost twice as many games and, thus, finished a distant fifth in Heisman voting.

ELLIS: Which redshirt freshmen are poised to break out in the 2014 season?

I'm not yet ready to say that a preseason dark horse will start winning the Heisman every year. Mariota, Marshall and Gurley all have excellent chances. Ditto for Ohio State's Braxton Miller, Baylor's Bryce Petty, UCLA's Brett Hundley, Alabama's T.J. Yeldon and Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon, among others. But now, more than ever, the Heisman is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately award. Mariota seemed like he had taken command of the race last season, but as soon as Oregon suffered its first loss against Stanford on Nov. 7, he was done. Conversely, Tre Mason did not garner a sniff of consideration until his 304-yard rushing explosion in the SEC title game on Dec. 7. So, in some ways, preseason hype works against a candidate. It gives him an early leg up, but as soon as he suffers a setback, voters knock him off the throne in favor of the latest flavor. It's hard to come back from that.

As for true freshmen, absolutely, one could win soon. That's especially the case given how many are starting and playing major roles for title contenders, as I wrote about in February. However, it's going to take an exceptionally rare talent now that the Heisman is such a quarterback-dominated award. Then-Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson finished in second in 2004 when he rushed for 1,843 yards for a 12-0 team. Would that happen today? Or does the trophy have to go to a quarterback? If the latter, it becomes exponentially more difficult. The idea of a redshirt freshman like Manziel or Winston who had a full year (or more) in a system putting together a Heisman-worthy season is one thing. Yet even the most talented true freshmen starters, like USC's Matt Barkley in '09 or Penn State's Christian Hackenberg last year, generally don't have immediate, overwhelming success. Most likely it will be a running back for a playoff contender. Perhaps LSU's Leonard Fournette?

Excerpt from:
Stewart Mandel: Examining the changing Heisman Trophy landscape; more mail

Gardeners repeatedly refer to the space between the sidewalk and the curb as the hell strip. More kindly, one might call it a parking strip. It is the generally the most neglected and abused area of the landscape.

This front-and-center spot is subject to foot traffic, paw traffic, trash and dog waste, and perhaps bicycle and skateboard activity, too.

The strip offers vegetation a restricted root zone filled with poor, contaminated and compacted soil. It is typically poor draining, lacking in nutrients and packed with weeds and weed seeds. It gets too much or too little water and is surrounded by hard surfaces that intensify summer heat. Water easily runs off because compaction prevents it from soaking into the ground.

A homes mailbox is often located on the parking strip. If there is no sidewalk the mailbox exists in the spot where the driveway and road meet. The mailbox is surrounded by many of the same difficulties that beset the parking strip heat radiating from the pavement, contaminated and compacted soil, weeds, and exhaust fumes.

It would be easier to ignore a small area with so many problems rather than deal with it. However, the strip is usually the first part of our landscapes people see as they approach our homes. It can diminish or enhance curb appeal. However, the problem is readily solved with a small, specialized garden.

To develop a parking strip garden, create one or more short paths as a walk-through for people to get from the street to the sidewalk. When people park on the street they look for that access. Mulch, stepping stones and gravel all work well for the surface of the paths. You might also try plants like thyme or Ajuga (bugleweed) that can withstand light foot traffic.

Choose plants that are consistent with your landscape as well as the neighborhood street scape. (Homeowners associations restrictions may be a consideration.) Plan to use low-growing plant material so you can see cars, adults, children and pets as you back out of your driveway.

Small evergreen juniper and cypress shrubs make good anchors for the garden. The intense heat that radiates from cement and pavement makes tough, heat- and drought-tolerant plants a necessity. Carex, catmint (nepeta), dianthus, lirope, mondo grass, phlox, prostrate rosemary, santolina, various sedums and thyme are plants worth considering for the challenging spot. Stella DOro daylilies are an attractive groundcover if you dont have a deer problem. Ajuga offers a number of leaf color options for a shady location.

Keep in mind that your garden soil must be improved before you plant. If you dont have irrigation you will need to get water to your plants while they establish and during drought.

Mulch should end just below curb level so it does not wash into the street. Dense ground cover, gravel or a combination are alternatives to mulch.

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Gardening | Some cures for the parking strip between yard and road

By Dan Moran dmoran@stmedianetwork.com @NewsSunDanMoran April 7, 2014 8:14PM

Items like television sets, computers and cellphones can be disposed of free of charge on the south side of the Waukegan Public Works facility, located on McAcree Road between Sunset and Grand avenues. | Dan Moran/Sun-Times Media

storyidforme: 64497906 tmspicid: 23137197 fileheaderid: 11267393

Updated: April 8, 2014 2:27AM

As spring-cleaning season begins in Waukegan, city officials are launching an awareness campaign to make sure yard waste isnt slipped into trash bins and televisions arent dumped just about anywhere.

Under the terms of a five-year, $4.5 million contract with Advance Disposal that was approved in December, residents now have options that include per-bag curbside disposal of landscape waste like grass clippings and a drive-up collection bin for unwanted electronics at the Waukegan Public Works facility, 1700 N. McAree Road.

Residents can even drop off up to four tires per year free of charge at the McAree complex under a provision in the contract that allows the city to recycle up to 20,000 tires annually.

I never knew we had so many tires in this town, Public Works director Tom Hagerty said on Friday, April 4, eyeing a four-foot-high pile that had accumulated in recent days. We finally have an outlet for it.

Both Hagerty and Mayor Wayne Motley said the contract with Advance and the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County is paying dividends in more ways than one, with the city no longer liable for recycling disposal fees.

We used to pay for (crews) to take our recycling, now were getting paid, said Hagerty, estimating that Waukegan will bring in around $5,000 per quarter. We used to pay about a nickel a pound, now we get paid 3 or 4 cents a pound.

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Waukegan launches new yard waste disposal plan

Yard and garden tips for busy urbanites

While gardening still ranks as one of the top ten most popular U.S. hobbies, it takes time, and many Portlanders face long commutes or lead busy lives that require thoughtful planning and careful plant choices. How to create a low-maintenance, attractive yard or garden so you still have time remaining for other hobbies and leisure activities is a topic well explore here.

Many easy-care plants to choose from

Whether your yard is bare, or already established with plants and vegetation, here are some low-maintenance shrub species to consider. Evergreen huckleberry (Vaccinium parvifolium) is very robust and ever-reliable. Theres also Red-flowering currant, an attractive plant that's a magnet for hummingbirds, and snowberry, featuring tiny bell-like flowers in spring and white berries in winter. By the way, these are native plants helpful for pollinators and the environment.

You might also like to try Hairy manzanita (Arcostaphylos), including kinnikinnick, a charming ground cover featuring small white or pink flowers in the spring. False solomon seal, a perennial (i.e., a plant that lives for more than two years), has arching green leaves and clusters of fragrant small flowers in the spring, and is another winner. Choose a partially shady spot for this interesting plant.

Other easy-care plant choices: Oceanspray, with its foamy white flower clusters, the sweetly fragrant Nootka Rose, Thimbleberry, and Yarrow. For a low-maintenance plant with summer color, try the lovely, long-blooming Meadow Checkermallow. Other choices: goldenrod, a late summer bloomer, and tall Oregon grape, an early blooming sun-lover. Note: some of these plants are most easily obtained at native plant nurseries.

Rosemary and lavender are both easy to grow and attractive; butterflies frequent them often, so feel free to include them in your yard or garden. Ceanothus (Blue Blossom) is another nice alternative.

Additional plant selections that dont require much water: California poppy, Golden Aster, Wallflower and Yellow Lupine. For those seeking attractive, low-maintenance containerized plants for the yard or patio, consider native plants or succulents.

Tree choices

How about easy-care tree choices? If your yard or garden has ample room for a new tree to grow to maturity meaning, both above, and below ground - here's a few possibilities.

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Gardening for busy urbanites

Lockport Union-Sun & Journal Yard waste pickup will begin the week of April 21 in the city.

According to City Clerk Richelle Pasceri, city crews will collect yard waste at the curb on the first and third full weeks of the month through September but pickup will be on the third week only in July and August.

Weeks to mark on the calendar include those beginning April 21, May 5, May 19, June 2, June 16, July 21, Aug. 18, Sept. 1 and Sept. 15.

Yard waste includes prunings, brush/hedge trimmings, thatch from raking, old flower and vegetable plants, leaves and mulch. Yard waste should be placed in containers or kraft paper bags and the filled containers should not weigh more than 40 pounds. Containers and bags should be placed at the street line or curb by 7 a.m. on whatever day refuse and recycling are to be collected.

Items including grass, pet waste, plastic, tree stumps, railroad ties, landscape timer and construction stones should not be treated as yard waste.

For more information, visit http://www.curbsidelockport.com.

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Yard waste pickup begins April 21 in city

Question: I saved several poinsettia plants from Christmas and would like to add them to the landscape. How much sun is needed and what other care is best?

Answer: It is hard to discard good-looking poinsettias that can give repeat performances next December. Find them a sunny-to-filtered-sun location. They grow in the sands but seem to do best when these sites are improved with liberal additions of organic matter. After planting, cut the poinsettias back to within 12 to 18 inches of the ground. Then keep them moist and apply a slow-release fertilizer every 3 to 4 months or as instructed on the label.

Allow the plants to make a foot of new growth, then remove the top 4 inches of each shoot. Continue to allow similar growth and repeat the pruning through the end of August. Also, look for mites and caterpillars throughout the growing seasons and control as needed.

Q: I have two dwarf schefflera plants with the variegated foliage. When is the best time to trim these plants?

A: Gardeners are planting lots of these attractive scheffleras with small palmate leaves that form dense shrubs 6 feet tall and wide in the sunny-to-shady spots of home landscapes. Like most tropicals, they continue growth year-round during the warmer weather and there is no special time to do the trimming. You be the judge and trim them as needed.

It's probably best to avoid shearing the plants and instead selectively remove the longer shoots back to branch angles or areas along the stems just above persistent leaves. If you wish, the cuttings can be easily rooted in vermiculite to grow more plants for the landscape.

Q. I pruned my hibiscus hedge last spring and never saw a bloom all year. I have two other leggy hibiscus plants that have been in bloom all year. Should I prune them, and, if so, when will they rebloom?

A. No blooms for a year is certainly a disappointment but not uncommon. Much of the recovery time needed depends on the severity of the pruning and the care afterward. Some gardeners do selective pruning with hibiscus by taking out or shortening the older stems. They leave a portion of the younger shoots that are starting to bloom. This way the plant is always producing some color.

When plantings are given a major pruning, the time to first blooms can be months to over a year. After pruning, give these plantings a light feeding with a blossom-booster product to encourage some growth. Too-heavy or frequent feedings can keep the plants producing only stems and leaves. Another feeding can be applied in June and August. Water during the dry times, but avoid overwatering that could encourage just foliage.

Q. My azaleas had black-and-yellow spots on the leaves fall through winter and the plants are thinning. Two appear to be dying. How can I help the plants?

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Poinsettias can stay in landscape with care