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Show 1 Wednesday. June 7. 2006 D1 Xeriscaping landscaping By Jennifer Petty Express Writer Whether the word "gardening" "garden-ing" brings groans or glee, it is an activity that many people participate in. Some because of obligation, and others because they enjoy it Whatever the reason, spring is a big time for lawn improvements and landscaping land-scaping projects. Xeriscaping (which is pronounced pro-nounced as if it began with the letter z) is a relatively new concept con-cept for many people. The term xeriscaping originated with the Denver Colorado Water Department in 1981, but recently, recent-ly, the idea has been catching more attention. The word is a combination of the Greek word "xeros" meaning dry, and "scape" and in landscape it essentially refers to designing and tailoring a landscape using drought tolerant plants. Many people might think that xeriscaping is only for gardens and does not include any lawn area, but often, water conscious people will switch to lawn varieties that demand less water or cut back on the expanse and expense of lawn by using the lawn to accent the landscape rather than having it as the dominant element. The results of xeriscaping are both long-term and immediate. imme-diate. The immediate results are the money saved by lower water bills. Lana Fullbright, the grounds keeper for Uintah County noted that for the xeriscaped region (in front of the library and park gardens east of the library) only 20 minutes of watering each week is required compared with the 45 minutes every three days for the lawn regions. Xeriscaping can also reduce the amount of plant trimmings, cost less to put in and decrease the amount of and labor required to maintain ' a well-groomed landscape. In addition, xeriscapes generally require less fertilizer, pest control con-trol chemicals, and weed preventatives. pre-ventatives. Fullbright said that at the beginning, when the area was first developed, there were some complaints about the scarcity of plants and general appearance, but now, three years after the area was first designed she gets nothing but compliments. "It is like any garden," she said, "It takes time and you have to be patient, but after time, the plants fill in and take care of themselves." Sally Wackowski, a member of the Kingsbury Community United Church of Christ, along with a couple of other members spearheaded a project to begin a memorial park next to their church building. "We wanted something that was water conscious," con-scious," she said. Wackowski said that she and other church members went to public lands and got some natural plants and took some from her own garden. "The gardening was not difficult to do. There was nobody with a lot of experience and we didn't hire a professional, profes-sional, but it really turned out great." When asked why she decided decid-ed to landscape with drought resistant plants, she said, "I think it is great to landscape and be able to save water in an area like this and water will become even more in demand as the area becomes more populated." popu-lated." Elizabeth Goode, church member said, "I was uncertain if the sandy soil had enough nutrients for the plants and I wanted to put soil pep in each hole, but the others convinced me that the plants came out of the desert from the same type of sand, and would live. I am amazed at the results. Not only did the plants live, but they spread. The area before was dry, weed-infested and an eye- lffiOWat c VenuLUtah Jf, - Mary Ijou Dixon t utr" iliTA C ' VTr Hwy.40.SttF 43M81-2500 49tt ' .790529. r p tZ)'Z?(f, x. 3242 Outstanding Agente. Outstanding Results. J l - Im ml - . J .- Expressions Basin Life The gardens next to the NbrarY are planted with native plant species and require little maintenance or water. pturtabvJMPcttv , zztyix&tx ihviM v.ft".M e H Marshall Bingham and Jitney Sawyer help maintain the xeriscape garden next to the library. sore. Watering help the weeds. to come to church ; new flowers will 1 To start a xeriscape garden or landscape, Fullbright recommended recom-mended that the ground first be prepared. If the area is filled with weeds, they must be killed and the ground should be tilled. ' To xeriscape existing lawn, the turf should first be removed with a sod cutter. It can then be moved easily to other areas. Fullbright mentioned that the type of plant killer to be used should be carefully considered because with some, the area can't be developed for up to a year. After the area is prepared, the process of designing and then planting occurs. "Look around at what other xeriscape gardens look like or which plants you like that are growing grow-ing in a natural setting," said Fullbright. "I am not afraid to stop and ask people what kind of tree they have in their yard or what the name of a plant is that I see growing. Most people are very proud of their lawn and are happy to share that kind of information with you." Nurseries also are helpful in choosing drought tolerant plants. "It used to be that only specialty nurseries carried indigenous plants, but now most nurseries have plants that will do well in dry climates," said Fullbright. Once a few plants are in place they spread and are very good at propagating propagat-ing on their own, she noted. Plants that spread can be easily eas-ily transplanted by digging up as much of the root as possible and putting it in another hole. Fullbright cautioned, "The most common mistakes people make when transplanting - is not digging up enough of the root or planting it too deep. It should be planted at the same depth it was at originally," said Fullbright Fullbright also added that xeriscape gardens are not exclusively about the foliage. Many gardens include rocks, or other natural objects that can be used as a focal point and as a way to add texture and increase the natural look. Walkways and other hardscape elements can add to the effects of a xeriscaped xeri-scaped landscape. justseemedto "V rC'- 'VlCv0 Nowitisajoy I . : " .fflgV and see what feWK.tr fc-i IT, i- bebioommg." SmAtz:? ." v In xeriscaping, lawns are used as an Kaysville deomonstration gardens. f? :re Grass planted between the street and but drought tolerant plants thrive and I '-" r --iffa-g-,fc-"mf-'-'i' SyZ;&if fj .-..1 This xeriscape garden next to the Kingsbury Community United Church of of water twice a week during the hot summer months. with native plants accent, rather than as the dominant sidewalk requires a lot of water because the concrete absorbs the sun, offer an alternative landscape option. v Photo bY Jen Petty landscape feature as shown in the ; 5 Photo by Jen Petty Photo by Jen Petty Christ only requires about 15 minutes Community Calendar June 05-July 21 Free Summer Lunch for students age 18 and younger (Adult meals $2.50) at Ashley Valley Education Center, 250 S. Vernal Ave., 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. June 5-23 5th Annual Aerican Indian Art Show on display at Western Heritage Museum. Featured artist is Wilford Conetah. Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sat 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 7, 14, 21,28, July 05 The Family Support Center of Uintah Basin is offering its Parent Education Class. This class will specifically focus on the positive aspects of par enting based upon the video series: "Active Parenting of Children", and is free and open to all parents and caregivers. care-givers. The class will meet at Workforce Services, 1050 Market Drive, Vernal from 4-6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, June 7, 14, 21, 28 and July 5. Free childcare is available during the class. Please call 722-2401 to register or for further fur-ther information. June 7 Diabetes Lecture series presentation on Hearing Problems and Diabetes with Guest Speaker Heather Hellberg, Audiologist Presentations are held at 6:30 in the conference room on the ground floor of Medical Office Building. June 9 Community dance at the Golden Age Center, 155 South 100 West from 8 to 10 p.m. every riday night Kay s Band provides the music. June 9-10 Uintah School District will be offering the GED test at the District Office 635 W. 200 W. The test will begin at 6 p.m. Friday and continue Saturday. Those interested in taking the test need to fill put an application at AiKley Valley Education Center, 250 S. Vernal Ave., or the District Office by 4 p.m. Thursday, June 8. The test fee is $55.00 with retakes available for $11.00subtest For questions, contact David John or Elaine Gardiner at 781-3100 ext. 2820. June 10 Vernal Elks Jr. Golf Skills Shoot-out will be held at Dinaland Golf Course for youth thru age 17. For details call Clif 790-1954 before June 9. 8 a.m. for kids under 12, 10 a.m. for ages 13-17. This event is free. Rising Star Riders open schooling judged horse show. Saturday, June 10, 2006 at Western Park Outdoor arena. Sign-up at 8 a.m., show starts at 9 a.m. Everyone is welcome. wel-come. For more information call 789-3696. June 12-16 The World Vision Assembly of God church will be holding a vacation bible school from 6-8:30 p.m. each night Please call 789-3113 for more information. infor-mation. The church is located 444 W. 400 N. Vernal. June 13 Back Country Horseman meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Frontier Grill in Roosevelt June 14 UCare class about assistive assis-tive devices to increase or improve functioning capabilities capa-bilities of older individuals will be held at the Golden Age Center at 1 p.m. For more information call 7894853 or 789-2169. To place items of public interest inter-est in the Community Calendar, cafl 789-35H or email them to editor9vernal.com. |