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spring 2016 Spring Cleaning Tips Out with the old, in with the new Page 4 Mother Nature’s Treasure Composting do’s and dont’s Page 6 a special supplement of

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  • spring 2016

    Spring Cleaning TipsOut with the old, in with the newPage 4

    Mother Natures TreasureComposting dos and dontsPage 6

    a special supplement of

  • 2 APRIL 7 , 2016

    spring 2016

    a special supplement of

    Owner/Publisher JERRY HEALEYExecutive Editor ANN MACARI HEALEYAdvertising Director JASON WOODSIDEAdvertising Sales ERIN ADDENBROOKE DAWN BRANDT MARCIA GRESTY ANN-MARIE MEYN MAUREEN SHIVELY BARB STOLTEProduction Manager ERIN FRANKSAdvertising Design BRANDON EAKER TINA MELTZERContributors ALEX DEWIND CHRISTINA DOOLITTLE SHANNA FORTIER JEREMY JOHNSON CHRIS MICHLEWICZ

    To Advertise Call 303-566-4100

    Simple tips and tricks for spring cleaning04

    Plant a pollinator garden08

    Tips and trends for successful gardening12

    Xeriscaping cuts water usage, adds interest16

    Getting the scoop on composting 06

    Community gardens bring people together 10

    Fairy gardens add whimsical touch 13

    Upgrading your outdoor space 18

    CONTENTS

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    3spring 2016

  • 4spring 2016

    APRIL 7 , 2016

    Alex DeWindadewind@colorado communitymedia.com

    Warm temperatures, sunshine and blooming flowers are paving the way for spring season, which officially began March 20. Its often a transitional period for homeowners

    spring cleaning, out with the old and in with the new. Some may dread digging through belongings while simultaneously cleaning dust and grime thats accumulated over winters frigid months. Others may see it as a productive challenge.

    Spring cleaning has obvious, positive benefits, including cleanliness and more available space. But it can also improve mood, reduce stress and heighten creativity, according to Psychology Today.

    Most Americans believe that home organization and cleanliness are among their top five stressors, the site reports. While organizing and discarding items might not be enjoyable for everyone the longer term psychological effects (not to mention more closet space) are reason enough to try a spring cleaning.

    Homeowners should start small and focus on one area at a time, such as organization, floor space or cleanliness. That way, they can avoid feeling utterly overwhelmed.

    Out with the old, in with the newSimple tips and tricks for spring cleaning

    Some household items, such as white vinegar, lemon rinds and baking soda, can be used to help clean the house. Photo Alex DeWind

    CleanlinessCleaning can be fun if done correctly. Instead of using chemical-based products that require

    facemasks and gloves, try a natural option. They arent hard to find, considering most supermarkets and discount retail stores carry green lines, such as Mrs. Meyers, made with essential oils, and the non-toxic brands Seventh Generation and Method.

    Some professional cleaning services, including Healthy Clean, use natural options that benefit the customer, employees and environment, Harmon said.

    We know that our natural products work better, he said. We wash the inside of the house its called the spring, intensive cleaning.

    His team uses Envirox, which has a peroxide base for disinfecting and an orange peel extract. The simple ingredients are healthier for everyone involved, even the households children and pets, Harmon said.

    There are many options for cleaning on a whim and several household items can act as disinfecting agents. Here are a few quick and easy tips on health-friendly cleaning from Good Housekeeping:

    Run a few lemon rinds through the garbage disposal and follow with cold water to eliminate sour odors.

    Mix two tablespoons of white vinegar with a gallon of water, and dispense into a spray bottle. Spray on a microfiber cloth and use on windows for added shine.

    Put baking soda in shoes to get rid of odors. Use damp, dishwashing gloves to pick up excess pet hair. Get rid of sink faucet grime with a dab of toothpaste and a

    sponge.

    Floor SpaceWinter means snow-covered, dirty shoes

    trekking in and out of the home. Excessive dirt buildup can damage floors, said Steve Cassady, owner of Clean Team, a 20-year-old Denver floor cleaning company.

    Get that winter dirt out dirt can really break down carpet fiber, he said. If you dont get it out, it can cut the carpet life down by half.

    Homeowners should deep-clean wood floors every two years and restore every four to seven years, Cassady said. Clean floor space is important for health, the aesthetics of a home and a homeowners budget.

    If you dont get wood cleaned or restore the finish, you will be headed for a cost of a total refinish, Cassady said, which can cost from hundreds to thousands of dollars.

    Quick and easy tips to clean floor surfaces from HGTV:

    Use a brush, not a mop, on dirty floor grout.Ceramic-tile floors can be cleaned with just

    warm water.Use boiling water and two teabags to clean

    hardwood floors. The tannic acid in tea makes hardwood floors shine.

    Vacuum carpet regularly, treat spills as quickly as possible, and deep clean once a year.

    Organization Before jumping on the phone and calling a

    cleaning service, homeowners should organize. Throw away expired pantry and refrigerator items, and sort through drawers and belongings, said Landon Harmon, president of Healthy Clean, a Highlands Ranch-based residential and commercial cleaning service that uses natural products.

    Make sure you organize, he said. Then a cleaning company can really clean whats built up behind closed doors.

    If a home is semi-organized, a professional clean may cost less, he added, because theres less to work around.

    Harmon, a single father, uses lists to stay organized and focus on one thing at a time. Dont overwhelm yourself, he said.

    Other quick and easy ways to organize from Psychology Today:

    Never attack the whole house at one time. Pick one area that needs organizing papers, computer files, clothes, linen closet, kitchen, mail or a childs room. Finish the job and move on to the next space.

    Open physical mail every day and throw out junk mail immediately.

    Keep documents on your computer and dont print anything unless you need it outside your home.

    If an item hasnt been used in six months, consider getting rid of it.

  • 5spring 2016

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    By Jeremy Johnson

    [email protected]

    Your familys trash is Mother Natures treasure, and theres no better way to deliver the goods than through backyard composting.

    Composting is not only a sustainable way to deal with food waste from the house, but it can also be rewarding to

    see that food waste become a healthy compost, which you then get to use in your own garden bed, said Eric Ham-mond, horticultural agent for the Adams County Colorado State University Extension office, which provides agri-cultural information and education. So, theres a personal satisfaction, plus the sustainability piece.

    Experts agree backyard composting is easy, especially seeing how sci-ence does most of the work. However,

    they added, the process can be made even easier by using a proper mix and best practices, while also practicing patience. After all, garbage doesnt get good overnight.

    The many layers of compostingThink about it: If you leave a banana

    out on our counter and watch what happens to it, in a very short period of time it starts decomposing, Hammond said. Composting happens in nature without our help all the time. So if you put a pile in your yard it will eventually become compost.

    And while time makes veggie garden-grade fertilizer of most organic trash, faculty member Ray Daugherty of Front Range Community Colleges Horticulture and Landscape Technology

    program said simple science is the key to making it happen sooner.

    Start, Daugherty said, with a finely ground and good mix of carbon- and nitrogen-based waste to get it cook-ing.

    A good compost needs a balance and theyll know they have the right balance when the pile starts to heat up, said Daugherty, who also recom-mended shredding or grinding waste as much as possible before composting, even if it means running it over with a lawnmower. Anything that would be like a dry or woody material is a carbon people tend to look at it as If its brown, its carbon. In terms of nitrogen, that would be anything thats manure or

    Resources for composting abound in Adams County and throughout the metro Denver and Boulder areas, according to Eric Hammond, horti-cultural agent for the Adams County Colorado State University Exten-sion, and Ray Daugherty, a faculty member in Front Range Community Colleges Horticulture and Landscape Technology program.

    The Adams County Extension offers fact sheets and full articles on composting at www.adamscounty extension.org, under the horticulture tab, and group discussion through its Plant Talk Colorado program.

    Hammond said some information on the Internet can be helpful

    though he called it a mixed bag at best.

    Some of it is not sound, fact-based information, he said, but theres a lot of good stuff out there.

    For hands-on help, Daugherty recommended the Master Gardeners program, through the extension office (again, under the horticulture tab), or any number of local gardening programs offered through community garden associations. Other courses, he said, can be found through organi-zations like the Colorado Nursery and Greenhouse Association.

    Also, Daugherty added, folks at local independent garden centers will oftentimes have some classes.

    Family trash can be Mother Natures treasure

    Compost continues on Page 14

    Getting the good scoop on composting

  • 7spring 2016

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    APRIL 7 , 2016

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    By Melinda Myers

    Whether planting a garden, enjoying the beauty of your landscape or sitting down to a delicious meal, you have bees, but-terflies and other pollinators to thank. These essential members of our eco-system are responsible for much of the food and beauty we enjoy each day.

    Unfortunately, pesticides and habitat loss are threatening their existence. But there is something you can do to help: Turn your garden, backyard or balcony into a pollinators habitat.

    Plant a variety of flowering plants that provide nectar and pollen through-out the season. Planting masses of natives, herbs and other pollinator favorites like sedum, zinnias, alyssum, cosmos and columbine will attract these beauties to your landscape. Include a variety of day- and night-blooming flowers in a variety of colors and shapes to support the widest range of pollinators. But dont let a lack of space dissuade you even a window box of flowers can help.

    Keep your plants healthy and blooming with proper care. Match

    the plants to the growing conditions, provide needed water and fertilize with an organic nitrogen fertilizer when needed. Youll promote slow, steady plant growth that is less susceptible to drought and pests. Plus, the slow-release, low nitrogen wont interfere with flowering, which is essential to the health and well-being of our pollina-tors.

    Supplement pollinators diets with a bit of rotten fruit. And be sure to provide trees, shrubs, parsley, dill and other plants that caterpillars, grubs and the immature stage of other pollinators prefer to feed upon. Put away the pesticides and tolerate a few holes in the leaves of their favorite plants. With a diversity of plants you can easily overlook the temporary leaf damage. Plus, this is a small price to pay for all the benefits they bring to the garden.

    Provide pollinators with shelter from predators and the weather. Include a variety of trees, shrubs and perennials. Leave patches of open soil for ground-nesting bees and some leaf litter to shelter some butterflies, bumblebees and other pollinating insects. Supple-

    ment natural shelter with commercial or homemade nesting boxes. Youll find do-it-yourself plans on the Internet from various educational sources.

    Puddles, fountains, birdbaths and even a damp sponge can provide needed water. Include water fea-tures with sloping sides or add a few stones to create easier access. Or sink a shallow container of sand in the ground. Keep it damp and add a pinch of sea salt for the butterflies and bees.

    Maximize your efforts by teaming up with your neighbors. Together you can create a larger, more diverse habitat that provides pollinators with the resources they need to thrive. Your efforts will be rewarded with greater harvests, beautiful flowers and color-ful birds and butterflies visiting your garden.

    Gardening expert, TV/radio host, author and columnist Melinda Myers has more than 30 years of horticulture experience and has written more than 20 gardening books, including Small Space Gardening and the Midwest Gardeners Handbook. Myers web-site is www.melindamyers.com.

    A monarch butterfly rests on a Tithonia blossom. Photo by Melinda Myers, LLC

    Plant a pollinator garden, enjoy the benefits

  • 9spring 2016

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    By Shanna [email protected]

    The American Community Gar-den Association defines a com-munity garden as any piece of land cultivated by a group of people. And those communities are becoming more and more popular.

    Its a place where people can go gather and learn from each other, said Castle Rock resident Jackie Searle, who launched a garden in her community. Kids, a lot of them dont know where food comes from. This gets more people involved in food.

    The Castle Rock Community Gar-den at Glovers Park is in its fifth year and growing. Searle began the garden when she noticed the lack of one in her community.

    I wanted a way to give back to the community, she said, adding that

    much of the produce grown is given to the Douglas/Elbert Task Force. Hun-gry people, they dont get fresh food often. Its a lot of cans and processed foods. So the gardens help get them fresh foods.

    The desire to grow your own pro-duce is taking root across the country. According to gardening.org, in 2015, 42 million Americans grew their own food.

    Thats a 17 percent increase from 2008 and represents the highest level of food gardening in more than a de-cade, according to a special National Gardening Association report, Gar-den to Table: A 5-Year Look at Food Gardening in America.

    The National Gardening Associa-tion connects the rise in food garden-ing to several reasons: An improving economy; strong national leadership, including the launch of the Lets Move initiative and White House

    Kitchen Garden by First Lady Michelle Obama; action by federal agen-cies such as the U.S. Department of

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    Gardens also help supplement food banksCommunity gardens

    Photos by Shanna Fortier

    Compost continues on Page 11

  • of Health and Human Services to in-crease awareness and educational ef-forts toward food gardening; and more engagement and public-private part-nerships through organizations, like the National Gardening Association, to promote and build food gardens in communities across the country.

    Community gardens are also preva-lent throughout Jefferson and Adams counties. Lakewood is home to six community gardens.

    In Douglas Countys Highlands Ranch, the Highlands Ranch Metro District oversees three gardens spanning just under 100 plots: The Corn Cob at Cheese Ranch Historic & Natural Area, The Potato Patch at Dad Clark Park and Farmers Field at Foothills Park.

    These organic gardens have amended soil, a water source and

    a fenced area to grow flowers and vegetables between May 1 and Oct. 30 each year. Garden plots are first offered to the previous years garden-ers.

    At the Castle Rock Community Garden, plots cost $40 for the season and any resident is welcome to join.

    Plot sponsorships are also available where residents donate funds to allow another family to participate in the garden.

    For Searle, the garden is not just a place to grow food.

    It brings the community together, she said.

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    Continued from Page 10

    Gardens

    Compost continues on Page 11

  • 12spring 2016

    APRIL 7 , 2016

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    Tips and trends for easy, successful gardeningBeth Zwinak, manager at Tagawa Gardens, 7711 S. Parker Rd., in Parker, shares some of her secrets to kicking off the spring gardening season.

    What is best to plant in a garden and why?

    In my yard I have no lawn I have lots of plants, groundcovers, pathways and patios. For plants, I have chosen those that will do the best in the particular microclimates I have in my yard. Some areas have lots of sun while others are cool and shady. So choose plants that will work best in all the different places in your yard.

    Tomatoes, of course! I do them in big pots so I can move them for the best sun and out of harms way if hail is coming.

    I also love Sun Coleus and Sweet Potato Vine lovely, multi-colored leaves that take partial to full sun as opposed to old-fashioned Coleus, which is shade only. These guys are always beautiful even though they never get flowers. The Sweet Potato Vine is a great contrast of lime green leaves once again, no flowers but

    an amazing pop of color! Herbs mixed in with annuals

    herbs add texture and color and usefulness.

    Succulents! They are fabulous everywhere in the garden, in pots, as centerpieces, hanging on the wall in pots great textures and easy care.

    What trends are you seeing?Smaller yards and, therefore,

    smaller trees, container gardens, raised beds instead of huge veggie gardens. Growing your own food.

    Organic gardening. Plants for pollinators, beekeeping. Miniature gardening is still a great trend think tiny plants with tiny accessories like houses, pathways, etc., that can be decorated throughout the year for all the holidays.

    What are some tips to picking the hardiest, best and prettiest plants for a garden?

    Pick plants that are smaller, compact and just barely showing buds. Plants that are already flowering will soon be done flowering.

    Look for dark green leaves. Some yellowing and browning is natural in the garden, but it should be minimal.For hardiness, check the plant tag for the zone. Denver is USDA Hardiness Zone 5 A and B, so anything Zone 5 or below should come through the winter OK.

    What are your top tips for a successful garden?

    Start small, especially if you are new to gardening. Be successful with a few things first, before taking on more.

    Use the best soil possible, especially for container gardens,

    houseplants and raised beds. Organic matter like compost is great to add to our Colorado soils, which are naturally lacking in most nutrients. Good soil is alive with microbes, earthworms, etc., and organic matter helps feed these.

    Pay attention to watering. Learn to tell when each plant needs water, then water thoroughly and let it drain, then make sure it is not sitting in water. Over-watering is the most frequent thing we see that leads to plants demise. Learn about the climate where each plant originated it will help you understand its water needs.

    Feeding your plants, including your lawn, is really important. Learn what type of fertilizer each type of plant needs to perform best. Organic-based fertilizers feed the soil as well as the plant.

    Be on the lookout for pests in all forms try to catch them early and use natural methods for control.Some plants just wont work in certain places. Choose plants accordingly to the environment they will live in in your yard or home.

    Beth Zwinak

  • 13spring 2016

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    By Christina Doolittle

    Echters Nursery & Garden Center

    T iny landscapes can be as natural or formal as you choose, and may include miniature houses, furni-ture, animals and figurines. Some have elaborate plantings; others may only include moss for a pastoral look.

    Components vary depending on con-tainer type. For a container with drainage holes (rec-ommended), select an indoor soil mix and a covering of gravel. A container with a sealed bottom should be treated like a terrarium with layers of gravel, horticultural char-coal, sphagnum moss and indoor soil mix.

    Plants should be small. Consider plants that are different heights and tex-tures to create a more realistic appear-ance. Allow space for plants to grow and avoid overplanting.

    One challenge that is faced by any-

    one growing houseplants is assessing light levels indoors. Most indoor fairy garden plants prefer bright indirect light. Watch for stem stretching to deter-mine if your miniature garden would be better off in a brighter area. If you are planting a miniature garden with cacti and succulents, the garden will require bright or supplemental light these will do best in a southern or western

    window. If you like the more struc-

    tured look of a tiny land-scape, try adding a few

    fairy elements to your garden. A bench

    and arbor make a simple statement. A large garden could

    include a house, path and dcor items. And, of course, you might opt to include a fairy,

    gnome, dinosaur or small waterproof toy.

    Many mini-gardeners choose to swap out plants and elements seasonally, adding tiny peppers in the fall, poin-settias or cyclamen in the winter and blooming plants in the warmer months.

    Miniature fairy gardens add whimsical touch

  • 14spring 2016

    APRIL 7 , 2016

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    materials that are green. Hammond used yard waste and

    newspaper as examples of carbon materials food scraps would serve as the green portion.

    You need them both in the pile, Hammond said. If you had just one or the other, your pile is going to smell funny or take a very long time to de-

    compose.

    Keep the compost cookingWhile certain manures can help com-

    posting, Daugherty warned of some that cause sickness or carry disease.

    You cant use certain manure like dog unless you really have good com-posting skills, because they can carry certain diseases, he said. And if you put your compost in a vegetable garden it could cause problems down the line. Canine and cat manure are excluded, but if you have chickens or cow or horse manure, that can be used.

    But if you have plenty of green yard waste, you shouldnt necessarily need to worry about using manures, Daugh-erty added.

    Hammond said theres one other thing compost piles can do without: pro-teins. Not only are meats and proteins hard to break down, they might attract unwanted pests and scavengers.

    In Colorado, dryness can draw out the composting process.

    Compost should feel like a damp sponge, Daugherty said, but not too soggy wet. Build the compost pile someplace where they can keep it

    moist easily.Some optimum places would be

    the north or east side of a house, or a shaded spot under a tree instead of out in the open, he said.

    Climate can be a particular chal-lenge, even for the most skilled recy-cler, Hammond added.

    Home composters have to have patience, he said. With our climate with a smaller compost pile, it may take a couple of seasons to finish compost-ing. It might not be something that happens overnight.

    Continued from Page 6

    Compost

  • 15spring 2016

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  • 16spring 2016

    APRIL 7 , 2016

    By Chris Michlewicz

    Homeowners and town gov-ernments alike are leading a charge to reduce water usage by incorporating Xeriscaping in gardens and public properties.

    Xeriscaping the practice of replacing high-water-use plants with drought-tolerant vegetation, mulch and rock started to gain traction in the early 1980s and has seen a steady rise in popularity since. Given Colorados semi-arid climate and the increasing cost of water, experts predict that water will become the new gold.

    Thats why more people are taking steps to revamp their gardens and lawns. Luckily, converting patches of water-sucking bluegrass, for example, into areas that thrive with far less mois-ture has become easier. Garden cen-ters have classes and knowledgeable employees who can provide advice on Xeriscaping and point customers to indigenous vegetation.

    Late last year, the Parker Water & Sanitation District created a more-equi-table rate structure to make water con-servation more attractive to customers. In the late 2000s, Castle Rock updated its landscaping regulations and began offering incentives and rebates to entice

    homeowners to reduce water usage.Colorado native Billie Owens now

    serves as customer relations manager for Parker Water, but was in charge of Castle Rocks water conservation program when it rolled out its incentives and began educating the public about the benefits of using sprinkler heads

    that saved water.During an interview in March, Owens

    said there is much at stake, as con-servation will ultimately help maintain property values and keep Colorado communities viable into the future. Plus, Xeriscaping has become more of a cultural thing.

    Owens, who grew up on a farm and earned a degree in biochemistry, said if done correctly, homeowners can design Xeriscape gardens to ensure there is color almost year-round. As one type plant becomes dormant, others will just begin to bloom, she said.

    You can create interest throughout the whole year in a Xeriscape garden, she said.

    Plant materials available at most garden centers provide flexibility and plenty of online resources can help homeowners do Xeriscaping them-selves. It can be a fun family project and ultimately cut water usage by as much as 50 percent.

    Public spaces get the treatmentThe Town of Parker continues to

    switch out high-water-use plants with water-efficient landscaping. Passive park areas, for example, are ideal for Xeriscaping, and the town has demon-stration gardens at the Parker Police

    Departments headquarters and the PACE Center, said Jeff Claar, a certified landscape technician and parks crew leader for the town.

    A xeric demonstration garden at the old town hall building on Mainstreet al-lows the public to see what a Xeriscape garden looks like and enables horti-culturists like Claar to see how well certain plants do in Colorados climate.

    Road medians, in particular, have gotten the treatment in recent years, requiring landscaping crews to perform maintenance only twice per year.

    Were getting away from the grass and going with rock-mulch medians with low-water-use plants and sub-surface irrigation, said Claar, who got his degree in park management and conservation from Kansas State.

    When building a new park, the Town of Parker instructs landscape designers to incorporate Xeriscaping principles when possible.

    Its something we always try to strive for, especially in this part of Colorado, he said. Were pretty dry here in Parker.

    The misconception that Xeriscape gardens are nothing but rock and cacti is finally starting to disappear, Claar said.

    Xeriscaping cuts water usage while creating garden interest

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    Its taken awhile, but Xeriscape, land-scaping for water savings as well as beauty, has come into its own.But, whats a homeowner to do? Tear

    out everything you have and start over, in the interest of saving water?

    No. Such drastic measures probably arent needed. Here are some guide-lines that apply especially to owners of small-to-average-sized lots with tradi-tional landscapes.

    Dont do it all at once. Think about your landscape in pieces. Following are relatively inexpensive, weekend-man-

    ageable projects to get you started.Think waste-free. Consider removing

    a few feet of the grass along the drive-way and sidewalk. Plant these areas with non-thirsty groundcover plants, small shrubs or perennial flowers. This allows these buffer areas to soak up water from lawn watering that normally would fall on the pavement and run off into the street.

    Consider replacing the lawn on steep slopes with a rock garden, tiered wall or low-spreading evergreens. As with pavement buffer plantings, the water

    that runs down the slope from other parts of the yard will be captured by these plants.

    Think ease and economy. Try to re-group flowers and other plants so the yard is organized into different water-use zones. Grouping or zoning plants with similar water requirements allows you to meet their high-, medium- or low-water needs so some plants in the group are not over-watered while others are under-watered. To further conserve moisture, use mulches between shrubs, flowers and in the vegetable garden.

    Research an inexpensive, labor-saving drip or soaker water system for non-turf areas.

    Think limits. You may have more lawn than you want. You could remove turf from narrow, hard-to-water strips and replace it with pretty, drought-tolerant plants. Remove turf from between and behind shrubs; replace it with mulch.

    Now, walk through your yard. Give it a second look. You will come up with ideas of your own. Be realistic about time and money. Xeriscaping slowly lets you allocate both over a span of years.

    Common-sense Xeriscaping for small lots

  • 18spring 2016

    APRIL 7 , 2016

    Family Features

    No matter the season or the region, outdoor living is hot. As spring approaches, here are six of the top trends that will influence the look, feel and function of outdoor spaces in 2016.

    Outdoor rooms: Thanks to advanc-es in all-weather materials, furnish-ings and accessories, you can outfit an outdoor living space in much the same way that you would any room in the home. As a result, expect to see decks with features such as integrated benches with upholstered cushions,

    privacy walls and ornamental post caps and railings with decorative balusters similar to those found inside the home.

    Railings that rule: Another outdoor element that's being influenced by indoor styling is deck railings. When it comes to selecting the best railing for your outdoor space, design experts recommend using one of the "Three C's" coordinate, contrast or cus-tomize. To make the selection process even easier, Trex, the world's largest manufacturer of high-performance wood-alternative decking and railing, recently introduced a set of curated

    railings that pair beautifully with the brand's most popular decking colors.

    Cooking with class: Americans have taken backyard cooking and dining to a whole new level. Heading into the out-door living season, expect this trend to continue with in-creasingly functional outdoor kitchens

    complete with cooking islands, pizza ovens, refrigerators and all-weather cabinetry and storage features.

    Warming features: One of the hot-test trends literally for 2016 is the incorporation of warming features into outdoor spaces. From candles and tiki torches to fireplaces and lighting, products that lend physical and ambient warmth will be in high de-mand. Look for increased use of LED lights integrated into deck railings, stairs and yards as homeowners seek to enhance the ambiance and safety of their outdoor space and extend the time they can spend enjoying it.

    High-tech decks: Home automation is hugely popular right now, so it's only natural that the tech trend should migrate outdoors. From light-ing and music con-trolled from a smart phone to motorized rear-projection screens synced to outdoor LED televi-sions, homeowners are now able to bring

    their entire entertainment system outdoors.

    Leisure without the labor: For those that want to spend more time enjoying, rather than maintaining their outdoor space, high-performance composite decking, such as Trex Transcend, is an ideal choice deliv-ering all the beauty and aesthetics of wood without the time-consuming up-keep. Unlike wood, composite deck-ing, resists fading, staining, scratching and mold, and won't rot, warp, crack or splinter. Source: Trex. For more outdoor living tips and ideas, visit trex.com.

    Top trends for upgrading your outdoor space

  • 19spring 2016

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