Winnipeg Free Press Newspaper Archives Apr 4 2015, Page 125

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - April 4, 2015, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE G9 RE/ MAX performance 204- 255- 4204 942 St. Mary’s Road Happy Easter! From your RE/ MAX Performance Team! Find a mortgage that fits your life. Visit your nearest branch today. Contact your nearest branch today! SEARCHING FOR A NEW HOME OR PLANNING A RENOVATION? Our fabulous Mortgage Rates start at only 2.35 % * rates are subject to change without notice Homes SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2015 G 9 WINNIPEGFREEPRESS. COM . EDITOR: WILLY WILLIAMSON 204- 797- 6577 . HOMES. WINNIPEGFREEPRESS. COM T HIS is the time of year when residential lawns bear little resemblance to their pre- winter state. Did yours look lush and green last summer? No matter. Melting snow in spring may reveal a daunting combination of bare spots, snow mould, a maze of meandering vole trails and, in the case of front yards, mounds of caked sand and salt along property edges. Some areas may even be completely stripped and ragged thanks to ruthless gouging by indiscriminate operators of snowclearing equipment. Restoring lawn to a smooth, green carpet is one of the first chores of spring. Initial steps begin with removal of debris, raking, aerating and dethatching, followed by reseeding any bare or brown spots. Next begins the regimen of mowing, fertilizing, watering and weed removal. The latter could be trickier this year, with the new pesticide regulations now in effect. Should we just dig up our lawns and replace them with something else that won’t consume so much of our valuable time? Many neighbourhoods are home to a variety of alternatives to traditional lawns, from landscapes dotted with boulders and ornamental grasses to a series of raised vegetable beds separated by pea gravel or mulch pathways, or even an entire sweep of naturalized perennials extending right to the curb’s edge, complete with a sprinkling of weeds competing for light. Paving paradise remains the least attractive option. For a small but growing number of homeowners who want the look and feel of grass without the maintenance, artificial turf is finding its way into the landscape. Last month, HJS Wholesale — a Winnipeg- based distributor of horticultural products and supplies to greenhouses and nurseries — co- hosted a seminar on how to install synthetic turf with a company called Ez- grass. Attended by numerous local landscape designers and this curious garden writer, the expectation of our local landscape industry is there will be more clients this year who will be interested in some form of artificial turf in a combination of residential and commercial landscapes. While backyard putting greens and pet areas are at the top of the synthetic- grass wish list, artificial turf is also being seen as an alternative for areas in the landscape that are hostile to anything more than a few patches of struggling grass blades. GARDENING COLLEEN ZACHARIAS More homeowners looking to replace tough- to- maintain natural lawns with artificial grass TURF A turn for the Continued Please see TURF G 13 SYNTHETIC TURF WINNIPEG Green, green grass even in early spring? Post- winter chores can usually be completed with a fan rake, leaf blower and brush broom. EZ- GRASS G_ 09_ Apr- 04- 15_ FH_ 01. indd G9 4/ 1/ 15 6: 20: 13 PM