| Lazy gardener Make landscaping your exterior focus
How do you make your landscape stand out? Most of us tend to be conservative when it comes to house styles, so our landscaping is often what grabs the attention of passers-by. Two great sources for ideas: garden tours and design publications. Some great yard spiffing-up suggestions come from Bill Stubbs, author of I Hate Red, You're Fired (Harry H. Abrams, $35; created with former Chronicle home design writer Madeleine Hamm). The book details Stubbs' extraordinary design projects around the world. Traveling so much makes him extra-conscious of the need for low-maintenance touches. It's not necessary, he says, to tackle the whole yard. He recommends making one small area opulent and colorful. Select spots where you can easily replace and rearrange pots and lighting to reflect your moods.
Gardening Masters
Gardening Masters Twenty-four Lincoln County residents recently completed the 10-week comprehensive Master Gardener(tm) Program course offered by the Oregon State University Extension Service. The Master Gardener apprentices will be working with veteran Master Gardeners on community projects, the May Spring Garden Sale, answering client gardening questions, 9 a.m. to noon, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, at the Extension Office, and working on their demonstration gardens at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds in Newport. For information about the program, stop by the office at 29 SE Second Street, in Newport, or call 574-6534. (Courtesy photo) .
'Gardening Is More Energized and Eco-Friendly With 'The dirt DIVA ...
SAN FRANCISCO, 4/12/07 -- As gardeners across the country salivate over seed catalogues and begin to prepare the soil for the next go- round, Bay Area book author and eco-gardening columnist Annie Spiegelman (aka the dirt DIVA) is sharing inspiring ways to sow blooms and change the world. Spiegelman is unveiling a treasure trove of principles and techniques for today's gardening divas via her new "The dirt DIVA Royal Horticultural Society." (http://www.dirtdiva.com ) .
How to make vines go vertical
Vines grow quickly. Some will grow quickly on almost anything. But others need help growing in the direction you want them to grow. From 1,000 Gardening Questions & Answers (Workman Publishing, $19.95 paperback): "Most vines will climb the comparatively smooth bamboo stakes sold in garden centers. But they will be happier – and more inclined to go straight up – if you provide twigs with the bark on, rough sisal twine and/or something else with texture." .
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