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Saturday, September 11, 1999

The best landscape is planned
Principles of design, plant selection addressed in class

Autumn is a great time to start planning your gardening endeavors for spring. But any project, especially horticultural activities, will only be as successful as the planning involved.
   Too often we consider landscaping to be strictly decorative, a tool to make our homes more attractive. We often forget there are many functional aspects of landscaping, including energy savings, security, food production and outdoor living space. To help homeowners understand the full planning process of landscaping, the Texas Agricultural Extension Service is providing a Home Landscaping Class to help you make informed decisions when approaching your landscaping projects next spring.
   The series will be conducted 6:30-9 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays from Oct. 5 through Oct. 26. Classes will be held at the Texas A&M Research and Extension Center on state Highway 44, 2 miles west of the Corpus Christi International Airport.
   Oct. 5: Getting Started: Site Planning and Designing with Function in Mind This session will instruct you on the elements of site evaluation, measurement and layout. The class will then help you determine your specific needs to make your landscape functional outdoor living space as well as a beautiful addition to your home.
   Oct. 7: Principles of Design This session will explore how unity, style, line, balance, symmetry and color are incorporated into your landscape design.
   Oct. 12: Plant Selection Kathy Hubner, landscape designer with Gill Nursery, will help you develop a plant palate to include different types of plants that not only look great in you lawn, but are known to do well in the Coastal Bend.
   Oct. 14: Understanding Irrigation Systems Herman Johnson, owner of Turf and Irrigation, will help you understand irrigation systems and determine the best method of supplying water to your new landscape.
   Oct. 19: Tree Selection and Maintenance Manuel Jordan, Regional Urban Forester for the Texas Forest Service, will help you choose the right tree for the right place and learn the proper techniques for pruning your existing trees.
   Oct. 21: Putting the Principles of Xeriscape to Use This session will begin by discussing the seven principles of Water Wise Landscaping, or Xeriscaping, and how you can easily incorporate them into your design to make your landscape both lush and water-efficient in our semi-arid climate.
   Oct. 26: Looking at Local Landscapes: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly This session will lead the class through a slide presentation to allow you to identify what's good and not so good in local landscapes. Afterwards, you will get the opportunity to ask specific questions about your design.
   Registration is limited to the first 50 families that sign up. The registration fee of $50 per household covers all materials, including publications, drafting equipment to help you construct a design, and light refreshments. Reservations may be made by contacting the Texas Agricultural Extension Service, Nueces County Office at 767- 5217. Whether you are wanting to be a true do-it-yourselfer or whether you want to hire a landscape professional to help you, this series will help you to ask the right questions and make informed decisions concerning your landscape



1999 Caller-Times Publishing Company, a Scripps Howard newspaper. All rights reserved.