| Enjoy 13 of the Best Private Gardens in Los Angeles County
A regional guide, The West Edition, costs $6.95 including shipping. Call the Garden Conservancy toll-free at 1-888-842-2442 to order with a Visa or MasterCard, or send a check or money order to: the Garden Conservancy, P.O. Box 219, Cold Spring, NY 10516. Discount admission tickets are available as well through advanced mail order. The 2007 Open Days Program is generously sponsored by W. Atlee Burpee & Co., Americas most trusted name in gardening for 125 years, providing seeds, plants, gardening supplies and accessories for the home gardener. The Open Days Program is also pleased to have Fine Gardening Magazine as its National Media Sponsor. Fine Gardening is published bimonthly by The Taunton Press, a trusted source of information and inspiration on house and home. The Garden Conservancys Open Days Program has been opening the gates to Americas best private gardens since 1995.
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW: ON TV
A couple's three-bedroom house, with a huge backyard and a good location near a variety of outdoor recreational spots, hasn't had a bite in six months. At 11 a.m. tomorrow on A&E's "Sell This House," design experts brighten the decor and update the bathroom.
An untamed backyard needs taming before a couple can get full value for their home. At 4:30 p.m. tomorrow and 8:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. Thursday on DIY Network's "Sweat Equity," with the help of a general contractor, they build an outdoor living space with a low-maintenance deck and new landscaping.
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Garden club marks 75 years
To celebrate their club's 75th anniversary, members of the Hernando Civic Garden Club held a flower show Friday titled "Continuing the Legacy." More than 200 observers from all over the northern part of the state viewed the show, which was classified a "standard" flower show by the Mississippi Federation of Garden Clubs. It was judged by a panel of six judges accredited by the National Federation of Garden Clubs. .
Unattended, garden costs can grow sky-high
Spring is in the air, along with countless advertisements from garden centers, lawn-care services, and hardware stores. It's easy -- take it from one who knows -- to spend so much on your garden that your per-tomato costs rival the highest gourmet market prices. But gardening can save you money, too, if you approach it in a smart way. There's some evidence that gardeners are doing just that: A record number of people are gardening, but they are cutting what they spend, according to the National Gardening Association. In 2005, the last year for which figures are available, the average gardening household spent $387 on lawn and garden activities -- 13 percent less than in 2004. Here's how to stretch your $387 as far as possible. Grow stuff that's expensive to buy.
Modify landscape, enjoy the wildlife
There is still time for residents who urged Long Branch to kill "herds" of Canada geese to educate themselves. ("Residents urge city to eliminate geese," March 10.) First, anger and abuse solve nothing. Fertilized, manicured lawns near water lure geese. These landscapes are not indigenous to the Northeast and mimic nesting conditions further north. The weed-whacked, fertilized, chemically treated ideal sought by many waterfront property owners is responsible for attracting geese. Ecologically, these are degraded landscapes. With the help of a qualified landscaper, they can be modified. And the geese will move on. Health fears are misplaced. The country's foremost federal researchers have stated unequivocally that geese are not a health threat. However, an epidemic of fear and loathing of native wildlife everything from neighbors' bird feeders to a raccoon that dares set foot on "private property" appears ascendant.
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