| Home & Flower Show blooms amid the chill
Despite the below-freezing temperatures outside, it was definitely springtime inside at the HBA Akron Home & Flower Show on Friday afternoon at the John S. Knight Center. The show, sponsored by the Home Builders Association Serving Summit & Portage Counties, runs through the weekend with displays, stage presentations, entertainment, ``Dr. Gadget,'' aka Dave Dettman, crafts, books, snacks and lots of flowers and plants. ``We come every year. It's impressive,'' said Tom Shaffer of Cuyahoga Falls, who attended the show Friday with his wife, Ellen. They agreed that they enjoyed the layout and the size as they admired landscaping displays. Besides plants, waterfalls, stone walls and deck ideas for the yard, there is a backyard putting green that several people waited in line to try out.
Going native with plants: A new-old direction for water conservation
By Jodi Torpey | Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor Page 1 of 3 Denver - Native plants are emerging as the new heroes in a growing struggle to deal with climate change. In communities that consistently have too little water, drought-tolerant mesquite trees, buffalo grass, and colorful Texas red sage provide attractive landscaping that doesn't require watering. Native plants also come to the rescue in areas with the opposite problem – storms that dump heavy rainfall and overwhelm the infrastructure for dealing with storm water. There, plants such as marsh milkweed, cardinal flower, bloodroot, and great blue lobelia can soak up the excess before it can run off. Native plants are trees, shrubs, and wildflowers that grow in a specific region where they have evolved over time, adapting to the prevalent environmental conditions.
The 11 best authentic Hawaiian beaches
Beaches, of all places on the planet, brim with hidden possibilities. They are worlds of respite, the launching grounds for great adventures; they are nurseries, the homes of legions of marine creatures and the neutral zone between the entropy of the land and the sensuality of the sea. Beaches are blessings. They shimmer with endless opportunity, renewed daily with the cleansing tide. Picking the best beaches on any of the Hawaiian Islands is a lovely but complex burden. Sand, sun, people, surf, access, privacy - each has its own appeal. In the end, we chose these for their vibe - one that resonates deep into the heart of Hawaii. They are places where the footprints of past kings mingle with our present-day trails, places you can claim as your own and whisper about as you pass the secret information to your friends and neighbors.
Local flower shops are giving Cupid a helping hand
His family were flower growers, leading Mayeaux to begin arranging flowers at a very young age. He got his first job as a florist when he was 17, opened his first flower shop when he was 19, and by the time he was 22, Mayeaux was in L.A. doing flower arrangements for celebrities' homes. "It was a very natural thing," he said of his career as a florist. Mayeaux came to Norman in 1988, and continued his career, opening Design 2000 Flowers & Gifts, 302 N. Porter Ave. Previously located on McGee St., this will be Design 2000's first Valentine's Day at its new location."We're looking forward to a wonderful Valentine's Day this year," he said. His store has been selling everything from roses and tulips to various exotic flowers. They have a far-reaching market, ordering flowers from all over the world."Floral design for years was almost a dying art," Mayeaux said.
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