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H om e, L aw n & G ar de n, T hu rs d ay , M ay 2 3, 2 01 3 6 Gary Carr Regional Chair 23 /2 40 51 3 Please contact us, as soon as possible, if you have any accessibility needs at Halton Region events or meetings. The Regional Municipality of Halton Keeping our roads safe for everyone Drive SAFE (Safety Awareness For Everyone) is a partnership between Halton Region and Halton Regional Police Service to promote road safety. This year, we're reminding drivers to keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel. To take the pledge against distracted driving, visit www.halton.ca/distracted. Distracted driving can also lead to drivers running red lights, so to help remind ������ �� ���� �� � � �� � ���� ���������� ��� ��� � ����� ���� �� �� ��� Halton this summer. For locations and details, visit www.halton.ca/stoponred. To learn more about the Drive SAFE program visit our website, www.halton.ca/drivesafe. Working together we can keep Halton's roads safe. Halton Regional Meeting Schedule Meetings can be viewed atwww.halton.ca/meetings May 29 9:30 a.m. Regional Council For more information dial 311 or visit www.halton.ca/waterconservation • Must provide proof of Halton Region residency (e.g. Driver's License) • Includes secure mosquito screen and handy dispensing hose $40 each (cash only) Rain SALES Date Location Saturday, May 11, 2013 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Robert C. Austin Operations Centre, 11620 Trafalgar Road, Georgetown Saturday, May 25, 2013 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Milton GO Station Parking Lot 780 Main Street East (west of Thompson) Milton Saturday, June 1, 2013 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Halton Regional Centre, (off North Service Road) 1151 Bronte Road, Oakville Saturday, June 8, 2013 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Mapleview Mall, (lower parking lot by the Bay) 900 Maple Avenue, Burlington 2013 � Over the last decade, the idea of a zero-maintenance garden has be- come the holy grail of outdoor spac- es. Imagine, a yard that always looks amazing and requires no effort on the part of the homeowner-- a personal utopia that remains exactly as you left it. But don't hold your breath. Most experts agree there is no such thing as a zero-maintenance garden. Even if you paved your entire yard and installed plastic plants, nature would fi nd a way to be a part of your perfect space. The best we can achieve is less maintenance. Every single thing you put in your outdoor space requires effort. Even dirt requires work. Mak- ing your life easier is all about mak- ing the best choices for you and your space. I laugh out loud when clients ask me for a nice big lawn as part of their easy-to-care-for backyard. In my experience, there is nothing more time consuming or labour in- tensive than grass. We have this mis- conception that a lawn should look like the pictures on the fertilizer bag and people spend all summer trying to make it happen. My neighbour Jim has the best grass I've ever seen. I de- cided to track the amount of time he spent in one week making it perfect. With weeding, watering, cutting, edging, trimming, and fertilizing, Jim spent almost 20 hours working on his lawn…and I didn't see him ac- tually enjoying it. Personally, that's not how I want to fi ll my weekends. As a designer however, I know that fi lling a large backyard with a grass- less creation is expensive. I'd also be fi ghting a tradition that has been a part of the North American home for longer than I've been alive. So instead of doing away with the lawn, maybe the better answer is to redefi ne it. The marketplace is now full of op- tions that are alternates to our cus- tomary Kentucky Blue grass seed. Some people have opted for clover lawns; others have gone with mixes that utilize native fescue seeds. Both are defi nitely less maintenance than what we are used to, but they both still require some effort. To help with this, technology is also changing through the introduc- tion of new battery-operated tools that are easy to use and easy to care for. The Black & Decker 19-inch 36V Self-Propelled Cordless Mower (SPCM1936) is my new favourite out- door toy. Not only can I ad- just the mowing speed to my person- al pace, its one-touch height adjust- ment allows me to choose my desired grass height - all with the pull of a single lever. Cutting grass has never been so easy Maybe the key to discovering the zero-maintenance garden isn't try- ing to get rid of all the things that require work, the key is to make the work more enjoyable because then it isn't really a chore anymore! Like I've always said, "When the tools becomes toys, the job becomes a hobby!" One day we could all enjoy the yard work so much that we actu- ally consider it a pleasure! Maybe I'll fi le this idea right beside my photo of the yeti. --www.newscanada.com Every garden requires some maintenance 'So instead of doing away with the lawn, maybe the better answer is to redefi ne it.'