April 30, 2010

Photo courtesy of Sunbusters Patio Covers

THE PRESS SPRINGTHE PRESS SPRING

Making your house a home

It’s spring, the perfect time for projects

that not only beautify your home, but

make it a more pleasant place to live.

Inside the Press Spring Home & Garden

Edition, you’ll fi nd stories on irresistable

irises, affordable home-grown greenery and

stunning shade structures, plus a plethora of

local merchants and service providers who’d

like to help you make your home-and-

garden dreams reality before the summer

heat settles in.

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APRIL 30, 2010 HOME & GARDEN THEPRESS.NET | 3B

Thanks to a wet spring and

unseasonably cool tempera-

tures, Tony Dittmore’s irises

got a late start on their blooms this

year. But that’s good news for those

who haven’t yet made the trek out to

the Brentwood Iris Garden and gazed

on its three acres of irresistible irises.

“We were about two weeks behind this season because of the weather, and so we’ve got only about half the fi eld in bloom right now,” said Dittmore, owner of the Payne Avenue property. “Last year this time I was pulling out the sprinklers, but not this season.”

Now through May, the Brentwood Iris Garden will be open to the public Tuesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Groups as well as individuals are welcome to visit the garden for free, and this year – just in time for Mother’s Day – Dittmore is offering cut irises for $1 a stalk. Guests to the iris garden can buy a bouquet, shop for bulbs or simply come out and enjoy the continuous carpet of color.

“Our blooms are amazing this year

because the plants are so much bigger than last year,” said Dittmore. “We have been enjoying a great turnout from the public, which has been really fun. It’s nice to have return visitors, but it’s always nice to see new faces too.”

And while Dittmore’s garden is fi lled with more than 20,000 bulbs and 650 varieties, less ambitious gardeners can still create their own slice of horticultural heaven on a slightly smaller scale.

“Irises are relatively low maintenance and do well in a sunny spot in your yard,” said Dittmore. “They don’t require a lot of water and they get bigger and bigger every year. They’re very easy to grow.”

But the old adage about never putting a $10 plant in a $2 hole is true, said Dittmore, who added that the right combination of fertilizer is as important as anything when it comes to growing bright, beautiful blooms. When shopping for fertilizer, be sure to check the numbers on the outside of the box or bag. There are typically three numbers that represent three individual purposes – color, roots and overall condition.

“The three numbers mean up (grow-

Irises unfurl low-maintenance lovelinessR U T H R O B E R T S

see Irises page 4B

Spring is in full bloom at the Brentwood Iris Garden. Each year owner Tony Dittmore invites the public to come and view the more than 650 varieties of irises on his Payne Avenue property. Hearty and easy to grow, irises are the perfect choice for fi rst-time gardeners as well as veteran growers.

Photo by Rick Lemyre

4B | THEPRESS.NET HOME & GARDEN APRIL 30, 2010

MEMBER

ing the color), down (establishing the roots) and all-around (the general health of the plant), and typically the higher the number the better,” said Dittmore, who uses a triple-15 special blend on his irises.

Whether potted or in the ground, iris bulbs should be planted in August to yield top results by April. Dittmore suggests fertilizing the bulbs one week after plant-ing, and watering fairly heavily once a week for the fi rst month. After that, watering every two weeks should suffi ce. First-time as well as veteran gardeners can hop online to research the varieties of iris, get an idea of what they’re looking for and purchase bulbs as well.

“We have a large selection online,

but I always encourage people to come down and see the fl ower in person,” said Dittmore. “You can’t get the experience of what it’s really like without seeing its true size and shape and sticking your nose in a bloom and breathing in its scent. Some smell sweet and some not so sweet; the only way to know is to experience it fi rst hand. Plus, coming out to the garden is a great way to meet your neighbors and enjoy some time outside. It’s hard to beat that.”

The Brentwood Iris Garden, located at 195 Payne Ave., is open now until the blooms are gone. For additional informa-tion, upcoming events or to order online, visit www.brentwoodirisgarden.com or call 925-595-3838.

To comment, visit www.thepress.net.

Irises from page 3B

You can wander through more than 650 varieties of irises, some 20,000 bulbs in all, at the Brent-wood Iris Garden.

Photo by Rick Lemyre

APRIL 30, 2010 HOME & GARDEN THEPRESS.NET | 5B

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As April showers give way to May fl owers,

now is the ideal time to start your own

fl ower garden. But if you don’t have a

green thumb and are clueless about what it takes

to make a garden fl ourish, Delta Informal Gardeners

are here to help.

The society of East County gardeners known as DIG hosts a yearly plant sale where you’ll fi nd everything from rose bushes to tomato plants. “You name it, we’ve got it,” said DIG Publicity Manager Jon Bergstrom. “We’ve got annuals such as marigolds, and we’ve got perennials, like petunias. We’ve got lots of fl owers, but we’ve got some small trees and shrubs too. We’ve got some rose bushes. There’s really something for everyone. No matter how green your thumb is, we’ve got something to get you started.”

In keeping with the organization’s tradition for the past

S A M I E H A R T L E Y

Delta Informal Gardeners’ 22nd annual plant sale features more than 5,000 plants for novice and expert gardeners to choose from.

Photo courtesy of Delta Informal Gardeners

see DIG page 6B

6B | THEPRESS.NET HOME & GARDEN APRIL 30, 2010

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22 years, DIG’s 2010 plant sale takes place the day before Mother’s Day – this year, Saturday, May 8. Bergstrom said if you’re stumped on what to get mom on her big day, a plant is always a nice gift. Instead of a bouquet of fl owers that will die within a week, a fl ower-ing plant is something that mom can plant in her yard and enjoy all season – if not all year round.

DIG’s annual plant sale features 5,000 plants on average, and while that seems like a lot, some people camp out at the greenhouse hours before the gates open to make sure they get the best selection.

“The plant sale is a popular event that brings out hundreds of people every year,” Bergstrom said. “Sometimes we’ve got people lined up as early as 5:30 in the morning wait-ing to get in – and we don’t even open the gates until 8:30. People come with wagons, ready to cart off a new selection of plants. It’s become a tradition for some people. People look forward to it every year.”

All plants sold at the event are grown by DIG members, some of whom start propagating plants as early as September. The plants are stored at the greenhouse at Shelly’s Garden, located on Chestnut Street in Brentwood between Sellers Avenue and the Byron Highway, where DIG members tend to them until the big day.

For those new to gardening, Bergstrom recommends an annual plant such as mari-golds. These fl owers last for one season up to a year, offering the grower “instant satisfac-tion.” Once you get the hang of growing,

you can move on to perennials, which last for several years if cared for properly.

However, whether you’re a novice or a gardening wiz, Bergstrom warns growers that they’ll need to spend a few hours prior to planting, tending to East County’s “good-as-pavement” soil. The ground lacks proper nutrients, so Bergstrom suggests buying some potting soil to help nurture your new greenery. Soil will also be sold at the plant sale.

Bergstrom also encourages new growers to have patience with their new plants. Once you remove the plant from the pot and put it in the ground, the plant may go into “trans-plant shock” and wilt slightly as it acclimates to its new home. Bergstrom said to keep watering the plant and it should come back to life within a week. But if you’re concerned about the plant’s status, you can always ask the experts. DIG Master Gardeners staff a booth at the Brentwood Farmers’ Market every Saturday, waiting on standby to answer all your gardening questions.

DIG members also host meetings on the fourth Monday of the month at Brentwood Methodist Church, 850 Second St., where they swap gardening tips and hear lectures from guest speakers. For more information about DIG, visit www.deltainformalgardeners.org.

The DIG Plant Sale runs from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Shelly’s Garden in Brentwood on May 8. Prices range from $1.50 for 1-gallon annuals and $2.50 for 1-gallon perennials to $5.50 for 5-gallon plants. Specialty garden items and succulents are individually priced.

To comment, visit www.thepress.net.

DIG from page 5B

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optional nature of add-ons and remodels.

But at least one business, Sun Busters Patio Covers in Brentwood, has not only survived but thrived during the downturn. The business had been located in Rio Vista, but a few years ago owner by Alan Lee moved to Brentwood, where most of his customers are located.

“We had developed a large clientele

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from doing business in Brentwood since ’98,” said Lee. “And over the years we would get more people calling and wanting our services. Probably 65 percent of our business is referral from other customers we have built patio covers for over the years. So we thought it would be a good move to Brentwood so we could serve them better. Over the last three years we have been really busy. We have an eight-week backlog of work.”

Lee has more than 25 years of experi-ence in the home-improvement business. He got his start in the 1980s, when he had free time while stationed with the Navy in Pensacola, Fla., helping rebuild houses wrecked by hurricanes. That experience plus the skills and knowledge he gained as a parachute rigger in the Navy have been incorporated in his custom designs and ensure the strength of his structures beyond that specifi ed by the manufacturer or build-ing code.

One reason Lee hasn’t been affected by the recession is that he doesn’t subcon-tract out his work. “Subcontractors do not do as good a job as with me being the contractor with my own employees that I can supervise on a day-to-day basis,” he said. “In addition, we work with our customers to fi t their fi nancial budget – not what we want to sell them. We will discuss what their needs are and their budget and try to build them a patio cover that they can enjoy for the budget that they have.”

Sun Busters specializes in freestanding

or attached pergolas, trellis, lattice, insu-lated and louvered roof patio covers. Costs run about $10 per square foot. The average patio cover measures 12x20 feet for a total cost of $2,400. That’s cheaper than the pre-recession rate of $14 per square foot. And Sun Busters currently offers an even better deal: a 12x18 lattice patio cover for $1,950.

Lee recommends getting three estimates or bids in order to benefi t from the ideas and knowledge of various home improvement experts, and comparing the quality of the products and amount of experience they offer as well as the price. Sun Busters bids are good for 12 to 18 months.

Sun Busters Patio Covers is located at 700 Harvest Park Drive, Suite F, in Brentwood. For more information, call 925-625-0120 or go online to www.sunbustersinc.com.

To comment, visit www.thepress.net.

Sun Busters from page 7B

Alan Lee, right, owner of Sun Busters Patio Covers, with his son Jason Elisavitis.

Photo courtesy of Sun Busters Patio Covers