Landscaping

KEEDYSVILLE -- Weather permitting, the weekend of May 16 and 17 will see Eagle Scout candidate Matthew DeTora and his crew from Troop 20 working on the landscaping at the new Keedysville branch of the Washington County Free Library. A sophomore at Boonsboro High School, Matthew, 15, said he was interested in some sort of gardening to complete his Eagle Scout project at the library. "I intend to landscape around the building, clean and repaint the cement curbing and parking stops, along with painting the front and back pillars," Matthew said.

Clarion Hotel and Conference Center The Clarion Hotel and Conference Center will celebrate the completion of its $5 million renovation and the opening of the Hager Hall Conference and Event Center with an official grand opening Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m., with the ribbon cutting set for 4:30 p.m. The Clarion renovation includes a new roof, new lobby, ecofriendly hot water on demand, brand new rooms, guest room and ADA-accessible rooms,...

Old-timers spray watered-down raw egg on their plants. As the egg decomposes, the smell keeps deer away. Someone else spreads bone and blood meal around to create the smell of death in the garden. Hunters tend to sprinkle predator urine to ward them off. A neighbor even creates tangles of fishing line that confuse a deer's senses, particularly at night. These are just a few of the many age-old ways country gardeners try to protect their plants, and they are little more than folklore.

Fresh air and natural landscapes invigorate and relax hikers, bikers and other outdoorsmen. But city and town dwellers don't have to live without flora- natural accents can turn any home into a nature escape. Here are some tips for homeowners looking to get back to nature in their own homes: o Landscape Your Living Room. Potted plants can provide soothing finishes in living areas and bedrooms. Home gardeners love ficus plants or fig trees, because they're adaptable and require little maintenance.

SOUTH MOUNTAIN, Pa. -- For Kevin Braun, "giving it the old college try" meant an admirable climb up a tree to remove its dead limbs. The 19-year-old joined forestry classmates from Penn State Mont Alto to do landscaping Wednesday at the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" house being built this week on Loop Road. They pruned and removed overgrowth for several hours, then laid sod and planted pansies and shrubs in fresh mulch. "How many times in a person's life can you say you were a part of something like this?"

Eagle projects are one of the last requirements needed for a Boy Scout to attain the highest rank in Scouting. Recently, Billy McGarity of Troop 8 in Hagerstown began a landscaping project at St. Maria Goretti High School. Members of Troop 8, family members and friends worked on refurbishing the welcome sign at the school. A footer was dug, pavers and weed-control sheets were laid, scrubs were planted and mulch was added to the area. This will benefit the school and all pedestrians who walk by the school.

Get rid of the deadwood Not all gardening tasks are glamorous. In fact, most of them aren't. They range from the mundane, such as weeding and spreading mulch, to the downright laborious, such as digging trenches and hauling stone. One of the least glamorous of all gardening chores is dealing with deadwood. If you have a lot of trees and shrubs in your yard, chances are you often have deadwood. That's because the branches of trees, even the healthiest ones, occasionally die, sometimes for no apparent reason.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. -- Surveyors spent part of this week marking the locations of new gas tanks for the Turkey Hill Minit Market coming to the intersection of CV Avenue and Pa. 16. The Laundry Station at the intersection since the 1960s soon will be demolished to make way for the tanks. A Turkey Hill spokeswoman previously told The Herald-Mail that 12 fueling stations are planned for the convenience store, which today is the shell of a building immediately behind the coin-operated laundry service.

HAGERSTOWN -- By the time Ruth Tinney's family moves into the home being built for them by Habitat for Humanity, shrubs and small tress already will have taken root in the front yard. Six women from the Town and Country Garden Club dug, planted and watered a variety of sturdy plants Thursday morning as Women Build volunteers installed insulation inside the Habitat house and built a shed behind it. Organizers hope the home will be ready in time for "turkey in the oven at Thanksgiving," said Pam Meredith, head of the Women Build chapter.

We still have openings in our landscape design classes. Maybe you want to make some changes to your landscape. It is always good to develop a plan, and then as you are able to afford the plants, you can add to your landscape. The classes start on Thursday, Oct. 2, and cover the basic tools and principles you will use to develop your plan. Then, during the next five weeks, you will learn how to select trees, shrubs, native plants and other features for your landscape. One of the Master Gardeners will sit down with you and review your plan to be sure it meets your needs.