NEWS and MORE ....

LEANDSCAPE 

To unwind from life's whirl, try putting a labyrinth in your garden.

Gael Hancock, a vise president of the Labyrinth Society, says that more and more people are installing ancient spiral patterns in their backyards, in addition to those in public spaces. "There are more than 3,000 labyrinths in the U.S.," says Hancock, who adds that labyrinth walking is growing meditative pursuit. "It allows for a time of respite and stress relief", she says. Artist Ariane Burgess created an specially lovely public labyrinth in Manhattan's Battery Park: a grassy helix, above designed to commemorate the victims of September 11, 2001.

ASSESING A NEW LAND

 When you buy a new house, you're also buying a new landscape. Whether the home is in a new subdivision or an established neighborhood, it's worth checking out the landscape in much the same way you would inspect the house. The property could be infested with poison ivy or polluted with motor oil or have soil that won't grow anything.

Here are some helpfully hints:

. Begin by strolling the property to get the big picture, including views from    various angles. How does the property look from the street? What about the    reverse angle from the house back to the street? What about the views of    your neighbors' houses?

.  Next, inspect things in detail, beginning with the soil. If plants in the    landscape appear to be healthy, the soil must be healthy. Make a more    thorough examination of the soil by doing a little light digging at several spots    in the landscape.

.  The next thing to consider is drainage. In the case of new construction, there     will almost certainly be at least a gentle slope away from the house because    building codes require that water drain away from the foundation. If the    home is older, the homeowner may have made changes to the grade when    adding a flower bed and inadvertently caused water to flow back toward the    house. If it's difficult to determine which direction water is likely to flow,    come back after it's rained or ask the homeowner or agent for permission to    turn on the hose or sprinkler system and let it run for several minutes.    Wander about other places on the property, especially in low-lying areas, to    see whether there are any signs of standing water.

. Getting a feel for the overall health of the plants in a landscape is pretty easy    during the growing season, but it can be more difficult to gauge during    winter. The density of the turf will tell you the shape it's in. Check for serious    weed infestation. Patches of moss here and there suggest shaded, compacted    and perhaps slightly acidic soils, but that shouldn't be a huge concern,    especially if you like moss gardening.

. Inspect the trees on the property to make sure they are in good shape. Have   they been pruned recently? Do they show signs of serious pest or disease   problems such as borers or rot? Tree work can be expensive if some need to   be trimmed or removed. Remember too that trees increase maintenance   chores in the form of raking and pruning. Determine the sunny and shady   areas of the landscape and see how those will affect the type of garden you   want to plant.

. Examine paved surfaces of the property thoroughly, especially those near    mature trees, for signs of cracking and lifting.

. Automatic sprinkler systems are great when they work properly, but they can   be a real pain when they don't. The good news is that nearly all mortgage   companies ordinarily require that they be inspected as part of an electrical,   mechanical and plumbing report. The inspection will determine only whether   the system works, not whether it works the way you want it to. For that   reason, you should have a look at the system too because you may discover   heads that need to be repaired or replaced or you may see poor choices in   terms of the locations and types of emitters, the layout of various zones and   so forth.

TIPS ON GROWING ROSES

Roses are often fertilized with every watering at nurseries.

A hungry rose bush will have yellow-tipped leaves. To feed it, mix a water- soluble, granular fertilizer and one tablespoon per gallon of water. Use about two gallons of water per pot. Pour the water over the plant in a gush to flush out accumulated salts in the soil. Set the pot on a crate that you've placed in a large tub, which will allow you to collect the drained, treated water.

Another option is to fill a 40-gallon can with water and fertilizer and fill the bucket from the can to water the plants. Use an eight ounces of water-soluble fertilizer, six ounces of fish emulsion, and 6 ounces of Epsom salts per 40 gallons.

Before watering plants with a water-based fertilizer, sprinkle some time-release fertilizer around the base of the plant. That should last for about three months.

Homemade Insecticide

Materials:

1 gallon water
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 Tbs. baking soda
2 Tbs. dish soap

Steps:

Add the vegetable oil, baking soda, and dish soap to one gallon of water.

Shake well and add to a sprayer.

* Note: If you have a lot of mildew, spray every two to three days. You can’t over-spray because the mixture is not harmful.

Homemade Deer Repellent

Materials:

2 raw eggs
1 cup skim milk
1 cup water
3 garlic cloves
1 Tbs. sticker/spreader (available at nursery) or dish soap.

Application:

Blend together, add to a gallon sprayer and fill to line with water. Spray on roses every two weeks.

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