But landscapers say now is still a good time to put in plants and trees, they just may cost you a little more and look a little different.

Businesses and home owners have more options for landscaping than they probably realize.

Even though officials with Longo Landscaping say business is down with the drought, they're finding new ways to make yards come alive.

Landscape coordinator Micheal Hague says landscaping in the drought is about efficiency and planning for when we do get rain.

That's why his latest project has a desert theme.

It includes drought resistant plants and grass.

Doing things where you don't have to do big expansive areas of grass, doing just decorate gravel areas, you know there are so many things you can do with gravel these days as far as coloring and then boulders, there are things like that that give you color without having to plant stuff, says Hague.

Being adaptable has helped his company survive during the drought, despite having less business.

Our business is down about 60% from last year, it's been a struggle, but like i said it's gone from more stone laying than it has to landscaping, we're doing more hardscaping, says Hague.

And to keep what they do plant alive he installed two types of drip systems..one for the Bermuda grass and one for plants.

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Landscapers Adapt to Drought by Using Alternative Landscape Options

From herbs and composting to Earth-friendly lawn care, you'll find a wide variety of topics at the "Art of Gardening in Muscatine County."

The event will be Saturday, March 15, at Muscatine Community College, or MCC, sponsored by the college, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, and the ISU/Muscatine County Master Gardeners.

The day includes your choice of 25 different sessions (participants may choose a total of four), lunch, three mini-sessions(participants may choose one) and a keynote address on designing a sustainable landscape by Lisa Orgler, an ISU professor of horticulture.

Session 1,8:30-9:25 a.m.

"The Language of Flowers, A Victorian Romance," Debbie Main, Linn County (Iowa) Master Gardener. Structures, color and variety all played a part in the Victorian garden.

"Wonders of the Prairie," Julie Jenkins and Mary Delaney, Ion Exchange, Harper's Ferry, Iowa. Planting a bit of prairie offers an opportunity for your family to experience the natural world withbirds and butterflies.

"Thinking About a Home Greenhouse?" Phil Pfister, Linn County (Iowa) Master Gardener. Siteselection,material options, calculating heat and cooling requirements, plant care and integrated pest management.

"Vegetables and Raised Beds," Janet Freeborn, MCC horticulture instructor. The best plant combinations for raised beds.

"Plants for Problem Areas," Dan Mays, Scott County Master Gardener (see today's cover story)

"Trees Can Help You Tap into Teen Power," Patty Peterson, community educator, Trees Forever.Learn the key developed by Trees Forever to motivate teens and the six things that keep them involved.

The rest is here:
Seminar topics include herbs, composting, lawn care

This years spring gardening season will hit the Oregon Convention Center in Portland this coming weekend.

On Feb. 28, the annual Yard, Garden & Patio Show will stir everyones imagination with a palette of entertaining spaces, designs for meditation and relaxation, whimsical fairy features and edible gardens.

Whether you aspire to create a yard with a waterfall, sustainable elements or floral and foliage features, this years Yard, Garden & Patio Show will inspire you to dream, while also teaching you how to make that dream garden a reality, said Allan Niemi, director of events and education for the Oregon Association of Nurseries. The Enchanted Food Forest, spaces for family and friends to gather, and other unique garden features will bring out the outdoor designer in everyone, no matter how green their thumb is or perhaps isnt!

Among the many features at the show will be outdoor cooking demonstrations from Portland-area restaurants, small garden vignettes and of course the main attraction: the Designers Challenge Showcase Gardens. Local landscapers will be creating seven gardens that incorporate solutions to common landscape challenges faced by Northwest gardeners.

A value of a yard, garden and patio show is it can inspire people to see opportunity that they might be able to sneak into their own home, said Drew Snodgrass, one of the owners of Dennis 7 Dees.

There will be sustainable living options, outdoor cooking classes from notable local chefs, edible gardens including a food forest, and free seminars geared to novice or master gardeners.

The main exhibit hall will be packed with hundreds of booths showcasing a variety of plants, gardening equipment, garden art, structures, decking, patios, and landscape professionals everything needed for imagining, starting and completing gardening projects. Niemi added that there is a sustainable living theme at this years show.

We are proud of our sustainability focus and encourage everyone to come and learn real, tangible things they can do to help our environment literally in their own backyards, he said. From the seminars and demonstrations to the Urban Edible Garden and Cracked Pots artists, there are a plethora of ideas to inspire every level of gardener.

Art showcased by the all-volunteer, non-profit organization Cracked Pots brings a total of 26 artists displaying hundreds of uniquely crafted and inspired pieces of art made from recycled items.

One of the artists, Oregon City resident Ben Dye, has carved out a niche creating drums from recycled propane tanks. He will also be unveiling a 12-foot tall dragonfly statue named St. Georges Horse at the show.

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Great gardening abounds at the Yard, Garden & Patio Show

To anyone stuck inside, last week was truly magical - snow everywhere. However, I spent the better part of two days shovelingand that was just one storm! After each incident, I thought my hand would never recover from the shovel shape of my glove.

I look outside my window and wonder how my garden will survive and how it will look in the coming months. So many shrubs arched over from the weight of the snow and ice. I wonder if they will recover. The tall, majestic bamboo confined to the corner of my yard has several stems that touch the ground. I love them because they provide year-round green and gently move in the wind. But now the outer most stems have taken on a different posture. If anyone were sitting around the fire pit in my backyard, they would surely be tickled by its leaves.

I am more concerned about the arborvitaes that I have planted as screening material along a portion of my side yard. When I opened the mini blinds from my bedroom window, I saw the row of evergreens bent over like dominoes.except they were every which way and not a straight line like in the game. Even though they have been bent in prior storms, the stakes I inserted near the center of the shrub and tied the stems with twine have not held the shrubs in place. It makes me sad to think that I might have to replace them.

It is said that snow is an insulator. According to an article I read that appeared in the Dec. 29 edition of the Chicago Tribune, "fresh snow is an excellent insulator. Ten inches of fresh snow is approximately equal to a six-inch layer of fiberglass insulation." Nothing can get through the snow - no air (it's trapped in the spaces between the flakes) and no wind which is why it is such a good insulator.

In basketball, we have what's known as March Madness. Generally, it occurs sometime mid-month and only the most talented of teams square off for the national championship. I know it's only the middle of February, but somehow or another, I think that's when we will finally see some green earth. I'll call it the March Meltdown. And maybe it will be just in time for my favorite nursery plant sale at Eisele's Nursery in Paramus.

In the meantime, there are some great very early spring bulb plants to look forward to seeing. They are Snowdrops (Galantus woronowii), Winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis), and Crocus (Crocus).

Between the mountains of snow everywhere, I have no idea when the winter snowdrops will make their appearance. Right now they are under several feet of snow with a layer of ice somewhere in the middle. These "white-winged teardrop" blooms appear as snow melts in late winter/early spring; they are sweet, 4to-6 inch dainty blooms and are best for rock gardens.

Winter aconite have honey-scented yellow flowers that carpet the earth. They naturalize easily in lawns, rock gardens and under trees; they are self-seeding and will continue to reward the gardener year after year. Most of my readers know I am a fan of Cecily Mary Barker. This is her "Song of the Winter Aconite Fairy":

Deep in the earth

I woke, I stirred.

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Wiest: Mother Nature blankets the village in degrees of white

Friday, February 21, 2014 - 11:49am

February 21st, 2014 The last three weeks my car has been covered in pine tree sap. The original owner of the house had planted a row of desert pines on the outside of the driveway and a couple more on the other side near the house. They look great and stay green all year long. The also provide a bit of shade from the late day sun. The sap provided the motivation for todays Weather Talk. Trees can be beneficial in many ways if you plant the right type, plant them in the right place they can help shelter your house from the weather and save you money.

Trees bring beauty to home landscapes, but a tree can also serve a practical purpose when it stands near a house; its shade can increase the efficiency of summer cooling and its shelter can save heating costs by protecting walls and windows from strong winds. Choose the trees you plant near your home using some specific criteria to ensure their long-term beauty and safety.

The tree you plant near your house should be of compact growth above and below ground. Wide, spreading canopies can fill gutters with spring and fall debris and even grow under roof tile or shingles, compromising roofing. Aggressive root systems can invade the sewer lines and foundations. Deep roots can burrow under basements in search of moisture, causing dry soil to subside, or fall away, resulting in cracked cement floors and walls. In fire-prone areas, use fire-resistant trees and plant them beyond the 30-foot open zone recommended by wildfire experts.

We live in a desert area. The U.S.. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a Hardiness zone map for plants and trees based on that areas climate. http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/ We live in what the USDA classifies as zone 8a. We have to have some pretty hardy trees to survive the desert heat and lack of water! The Arbor Day Foundation has a list of the 30 most popular trees for zone 8. Some of these are in my neighborhood and I will list a few.

White Pine Weeping Willow Sugar Maple Tulip Tree (Yellow Poplar) Red Dogwood Pink Dogwood River Birch Lace bark Elm Black Walnut Leyland Cypress Saucer Magnolia Camellia Red Maple Hybrid Poplar

The Arbor Day Foundation also has a tree calculator. That will calculate the savings a certain type and size of tree planted near your house saves you each year based on your zip code. Very cool! They calculate the savings of electricity, natural gas, storm water, CO2 and its effect on property value. My 40 in diameter Southwestern White Pine in central El Paso provides $45 a year in benefits! Here is the web address; https://www.arborday.org/calculator/index.cfm?

Here is the best list I found from the Arbor Day Foundation of what to take into considering when planning where to plant your trees;

A healthy community forest begins with careful planning. With a little research and a simple layout, you can produce a landscape that will cool your home in summer and tame the winter winds. Your well-planned yard will contain trees that grow well in the soil and moisture of your neighborhood. Your trees will be properly placed to avoid collisions with power lines and buildings, and the aesthetics will increase your property value. A proper landscape plan takes each tree into consideration: 1. Height. Will the tree bump into anything when it is fully grown? [sizing guide] 2. Canopy spread. How wide will the tree grow? 3. Is the tree deciduous or coniferous? (Will it lose its leaves in the winter?) 4. Form or shape. A columnar tree will grow in less space. Round and V-Shaped species provide the most shade. [shape guide] 5. Growth rate. How long will it take for your tree to reach its full height? Slow growing species typically live longer than fast growing species. 6. Soil, sun, and moisture requirements. 7. Fruit. No one wants messy droppings on busy sidewalks. 8. Hardiness zone indicates the temperature extremes in which a tree can be expected to grow. For the purposes of this quiz hardiness zone considerations have been disregarded. Check with your community's tree board or forestry department or a local county cooperative extension agent for a list of trees suitable for planting in your specific hardiness zone. (Arborday.org hardiness zones lookup.)

All this information makes me want to go to a nursery and buy some trees! Trees do add beauty to your yard, shade and wind protection to your house. If you pick our the right type of tree, plant it in the proper location and good tree will give you years of shelter, enjoyment and it may even help you save money!

Here is the original post:
Johnny Appleseed Was Right! Plant More Trees!

SAN ANTONIO More than 40 green industry and other professionals attended the recent Texas Water Star Program presentation of an Earth-Kind landscaping school at the San Antonio Garden Center in San Antonio.

Earth-Kind and the Texas Water Star program were both developed by Texas A&M AgriLife.

Earth-Kind landscaping school attendees tour the San Antonio Botanical Garden. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo)

Attendees included representatives of commercial nurseries, professional landscaping businesses, landscape designers and irrigators, the San Antonio Water System, Master Gardeners and homeowners.

Program coordinators were Jared Beaver, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program coordinator for water and natural resources for Bexar County, and David Rodriguez, AgriLife Extension horticulturist for Bexar County.

The workshop was designed for recreational, public, and residential landscape irrigators and contractors, grounds maintenance personnel, retail nurseries and other users of urban water resources, Rodriguez said. We focused on Earth-Kind landscaping, which incorporates the best practices of both traditional and organic gardening in an environmentally responsible manner.

Class instruction included presentations on plant selection and landscaping using Texas Superstar plants; tree selection and placement for energy and water conservation; reducing yard waste and reusing landscaping materials; irrigation efficiency and drip irrigation; and an irrigation audit and evaluation demonstration.

I came to the program to learn more about landscaping in general, said Peter Davis, owner of Davis Company Landscaping of San Antonio. And specifically, I learned a lot about proper tree trimming and more about low-water-use plants for the landscape, like esperanzas and mountain laurels.

Water conservation and proper irrigation were major topics discussed at the school.

We are providing landscape professionals with instruction and management practices that can help them conserve water in recreational, public and residential landscapes in urban areas, Beaver said. One of the biggest uses of municipal water, and the one with the most potential for increased savings, is water use for commercial landscapes and lawns.

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Earth-Kind landscaping school draws variety of green industry, other professionals

PADUCAH, KyJust 31 days now until spring and many of you are counting down! Temperatures are getting warmer, and there is some rain in the forecast, that will probably turn your yard into a slushy and muddy mess.

Landscape professionals and homeowners said they are ready for spring, even if it means some extra yard work.

Today the sun was shining, the snow and ice packed down is finally thawing.

Crystal Sanders owns James Sanders Nursery and said people need to start preparing their yards now.

"We go around and mulch all the plant material around the root systems to protect them...If you didn't get seeding done in the fall, it's a great time to start seeding now," said Sanders.

Homeowner Talmadge Martin takes pride in his yard and says he is ready for spring.

"We have had enough of it. We've had more snow than I can ever remember," said Martin.

All the snow in Martin's yard has created mess, that will take months to firm back up.

"You can walk around in some other places in my yard, back out back, it may go over your shoe tops," said Martin.

Both homeowners and landscape professionals said they are tired of winter.

Read more from the original source:
Weather makes for muddy mess for homeowners

Q. Will black plastic create a suitable weed barrier under bark when I landscape my yard?

A. Though black plastic is cheap, will suppress weeds and will last a long time, it creates an impermeable barrier, shutting off moisture and light and thus either killing or seriously limiting soil life beneath it. Also, though it shreds easily, unsightly scraps will remain on or in the soil for years without decaying appreciably.

Landscape fabric, on the other hand, though more expensive, does a comparable job of keeping weeds down but will let rain and some light filter through its woven fabric. Trees, shrubs, flowers etc. planted in holes cut in the fabric will continue to be nourished by living soil, as they would not be able to with black plastic. Another possibility is cardboard, often available free. It wont last as long, but it will break down completely and become part of the soil.

The Shasta Master Gardener Program can be reached by phone, 242-2219, or email mastergardeners@shastacollege.edu.

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Master Gardener: Black plastic weed barrier stops weeds but harms soil health

Landscape, marketing contest winners named

The North Dakota Nursery and Greenhouse Association has awarded Peter Boyle of Boyle Landscaping, Fargo, as the first place winner in the residential front yard category in its annual Landscape and Marketing Contest. Boyle was recognized for his project at Shotwell Commons, Fargo.

Ryan Aakre of Signature Landscapes, Fargo, won the residential backyard division, and Terryl Melby and Sarah Liljestrand of Hollands Landscaping and Garden Center, Moorhead, received first place in the marketing awards program in the plant materials and hard goods divisions.

Awards of Merit went to Cody Wilhelm, Dakota Impressions Landscapes and Design, Bismarck; Paul Beck, Lowes Garden Center, Minot; and Chad Erickson Oasis Plantscapes, West Fargo.

Lura named Nodak Mutual sales leader

Duey Lura, an agent for Nodak Mutual Insurance Co., Fargo, has been recognized as a sales leader with Nodak Mutual for his outstanding sales performance for all lines in the state of North Dakota during 2013.

He also earned partner level status for the year.

Prudential Premier agents earn recognition

Prudential Premier Real Estate has awarded 31 of its real estate agents with Top of the Rock Club status, which recognizes their 2013 sales accomplishments.

The agents receiving the special recognition include: Sabrina Anderson, Amber Bender, Jayne Bertsch, Randy Bertsch, Jodi Birnbaum, Jared Blankenship, Terri Craig, Pat DeVine, Connie Dreyer, Mary Eberhard, Julie Fournier, Cathy Hahn, James Hand, Pam Hanson, Nancy Kelly, Kim Kelsh, Steve Klocke, John Knosalla, DeAnne Mason, Mark Mason, Kim Meyers, Pam Moffat, Susie Nickell, Bobbi Solien, Lyle Rasmussen, Tyler Rebrovich, Rod Richter, Steve Ritter, Mari Santoyo, Rod Searls, Lisa Swanson and Cat Yokom.

See more here:
Honors and officers (Feb. 15)

Observer reporters fanned out around the region to capture the winter landscape. Here's what they saw:

Snow follows this couple

The snow followed Mike Kutner and Andrea Platano here from Ohio. The couple recently moved to Fayetteville in hopes of escaping the white stuff.

"It's such a nuisance," Kutner said Wednesday while doing laundry at Koretizing Dry Cleaning and Laundry. "This is nothing. We're from the snow belt where it snows feet at a time.

"This ain't that bad for us, it's just another day."

Trudging through snow-covered streets, it took the couple more than 45 minutes Tuesday to drive a route that typically takes 15 minutes.

"The roads are awful," Kutner said.

Platano disagreed.

"It's the other drivers who are awful," she said. "Plus, these roads don't really get plowed."

Diana Cann, manager of the laundry facility, said growing up in New York has made her a pro at driving in icy conditions, so she's quick to dole out advice.

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Scenes from a snow day