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This article is sponsored by the City of Tacoma, its Environmental Services Department, and the Make a Splash grant program.

Some changes in how you maintain and care for your garden or yard can help it look good, give you more time to enjoy it, and score points for the environment.

Pointers on how to do all that are available at the City of Tacoma EnviroHouse, a model home showcasing green building and natural-landscape ideas.

By championing the benefits of sustainable living, EnviroHouse – a program of the city’s Environmental Services Department — plays a key role in helping homeowners, builders, and landscapers minimize, if not eliminate surface-water runoff that can pollute waterways, including Puget Sound. Gardening techniques that are spotlighted include:

  • A water-efficient irrigation system that uses low-evaporation spray heads and drip irrigation that applies water to the root zone, avoiding wasteful runoff
  • An irrigation controller that applies water according to the weather.
  • Rain barrels barrels to capture and recycle rain water.
  • Native/adaptable plants that prevent erosion and flooding and improve water quality.
  • Composting that helps make landscaping weed-resistant, reducing the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides that can make their way into water systems.

The less water that’s spent on gardens and landscaping, the better for the environment. Water is critical throughout the life of a plant, but deciding when and how much water to provide each plant can be a bit overwhelming. The task can be easier with simple strategies that conserve water and guard against runoff.

Start by selecting plants suited to your climate, soil moisture and average rainfall.

Next, incorporate organic matter such as compost into the soil prior to planting. This helps the soil absorb rainfall and irrigation water. Less runoff means less water wasted. Adding organic matter also increases the ability of fast-draining soil to hold moisture, extending the time between watering.

Check out the TAGRO (short for “Tacoma Grow”) soil products marketed by the City of Tacoma. Made from wastewater byproducts called biosolids and other weed-free gardening components, TAGRO has the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s highest rating for use in landscaping and vegetable gardens and gets rave reviews from customers. (For information about TAGRO or to place an order, call 253-502-2150).

Mulch the soil with organic materials such as shredded leaves, evergreen needles or woodchips. Mulching helps conserve moisture while suppressing weeds and improving the soil as it decomposes. Plus, you’ll be recycling landscape trimmings back into the landscape and the environment.  Green gardening!

Providing the right amount of water at the right time can be a challenge. Doing it efficiently to avoid wasting time or water can help ensure your gardening success.

You can see efficient watering systems in action at EnviroHouse, which features a fully integrated rainwater management system that starts by collecting rainwater in roof gutters, then into rain barrels that are linked to provide water for the yard and landscaping that can be controlled by the weather. This water-efficient system features low-evaporation spray heads and drip irrigation that applies water directly to roots to greatly reduce wasteful runoff.

Stormwater runoff from homes, streets, sidewalks and parking lots is the main source of pollution in Commencement Bay and Puget Sound, so EnviroHouse was designed to minimize its impact with a rain garden that deals with all runoff that isn’t used for irrigation.

EnviroHouse also displays examples of permeable pavers and pathways that absorb and filter runoff, as well as direct it into a rain garden. Also on display are examples of non-toxic paint, siding, and roofing that can greatly reduce the pollutants and chemicals that get into stormwater runoff.

You can see it all for yourself at 3510 S. Mullen St., where EnviroHouse is open to the public Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on weekends from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The use of appropriate irrigation, mulching and organic matter can make a huge difference in the quality and enjoyment of your garden and landscaping. And the environment will thank you.

 

Melinda Myers, a gardening expert and writer who has written more than 20 gardening books, contributed to this report.

 

srmedia by — April 20, 2018 in Everything Else

The Washington State Fair, billed as the Evergreen State’s biggest party, returns for another run Sept. 1-24 in Puyallup. Here’s what to know before you go:

  • Closed Tuesdays and Sept. 6.
  • Pre-fair admission prices: Adults $11, kids 6 to 18 $9 (5 and under free), seniors (62-up) $9. Admission prices starting Sept. 1: Adults $14, kids 6 to 18 $10.50 (5 and under free), seniors $10.50.
  • Special admission: Military Mondays–retired, active and reserve military members and their dependents admitted free on Sept. 4, Sept. 11 and Sept. 18. Pierce County Thursdays—2-for-1 on Sept. 7, 14 and 21. School Supply Drive—Free admission on Sept. 8 between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. with donation of new school supplies. Benefits Communities in Schools.
  • Parking in fair lots: $10 weekdays, $15 weekends.

    The midway is one of the popular spots at the Washington State Fair. (The Fair/courtesy photo)
srmedia by — August 30, 2017 in Everything Else

Paul Opgrande has helped lead Tacoma Lutheran Retirement Community for 30 years, 27 as chief executive officer.

As Paul Opgrande heads into retirement this month after 30 years at the helm of Tacoma Lutheran Retirement Community, he can reflect on what drew him to such a long career in serving seniors.

“It’s a short story,” he said. “When I graduated from college in 1970 with a degree in political science, I couldn’t find a job. I volunteered for six months at a Lutheran home in Dickinson, N.D. (his hometown) and found that I really liked the work and the mission behind it.”

And the rest is history, so to speak. After serving in similar roles in Minnesota and North Dakota, Opgrande’s three decades with Tacoma Lutheran included the last 27 years as its president and chief executive officer. During that time, the 350-resident community on 30 acres in Tacoma’s North End added North Ridge Memory Care, the Emerson Wellness and Clark Aquatic Center, the Chihuly Family Art Center, Edwards Family Plaza, Arneklev Garden, multiple independent-living condo-style homes, and assisted-living apartments and services, in addition to expanding therapy-rehabilitation services and in-home support services.

The Board of Governors of Tacoma Lutheran, in announcing Opgrande’s retirement effective Feb. 1, said his “stellar leadership” guided the community’s expansion and improvements that have added to Tacoma Lutheran’s “long-time reputation for quality care and quality living.”

The board also noted Opgrande has ensured that residents have the opportunities and amenities to maintain a lifestyle in which they can cultivate new friendships and have new experiences during their golden years.

Opgrande’s influence on the lives of seniors extends beyond the Tacoma Lutheran campus. Locally, he has been a member of LeadingAge Washington, Lutheran Services Northwest, Lutheran Services of America, and TACID, and has encouraged partnerships with healthcare providers. He also has served with the Board of Aging Services of Washington and the House of Delegates of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aged, is a past president of the National Association of Lutheran Homes and Services for the Aged, and has served on committees with Lutheran Services in America.

Opgrande and his wife, Lolita, live in University Place and have two daughters and three grandchildren. In his spare time, he enjoys golf, reading, photography and time on beaches – the latter with or without the sun, he said. The couple plan to spend the first month of his retirement in Mexico, then will concentrate on building a new home in Olympia.

“I’ll find ways to keep busy,” he said.

srmedia by — February 15, 2017 in Everything Else

The Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s for the South Sound will be held Sept. 13 in Tacoma.

The 11-mile route will begin at the University of Puget Sound. As of mid-August, nearly $53,000 of the fund-raiser’s $150,000 goal for the year had been pledged for the fight against Alzheimer’s.

A companion walk for the Kitsap Peninsula area is scheduled for Sept. 12 in Bremerton. The two-mile event will be staged at Louis Mentor Boardwalk.

More information about the walks and h ow t5o get involved is available from the Alzheimer’s Association’s Washington chapter at 206-363-5500 and alz.org/alzwa.

srmedia by — September 8, 2015 in Everything Else