Home and garden show will inspire and inform

With the arrival of spring, planning your outdoor space begins now. For many of us, it’s not just about a spring yard cleanup or which plants to buy. Spring is also a time for projects and renovation.

Soon neighbourhoods across our cities and towns will be filled with a cacophony of sounds such as the buzz of drills and power saws. Someone, somewhere, will be building a deck, fence or porch, laying a sidewalk or patio, or installing an irrigation system or landscape lighting.

Need some help choosing the right solutions for your landscape and backyard garden oasis? The Winnipeg Home + Garden Show will be at the RBC Convention Centre April 4 to 7. Many new products and innovations will be on display under one roof.

Barkman Concrete, an industry-leading Manitoba-based company, celebrating its 70th year manufacturing precast concrete products, looks forward to returning for another year. Barkman’s exhibit is a source of inspiration for backyard enthusiasts, sharing the latest trends in pavers for driveways, pathways and private patios to fresh ideas for outdoor entertaining.

This spring, Barkman will be launching customizable options for garden walls and garden boxes. Wayne Patram, product development manager for Barkman, describes the new Bridgewood Wall as a multipurpose wall system that can be used for retaining walls, free-standing accent dividers or raised planting beds.

The Bridgewood Wall has the look and feel of wood but is made of concrete, Patram says, which means it won’t rot over time. It won’t warp, splinter or fade. Nor will it ever need to be stained or sealed, he says.

What is it about raised planting beds that we like so much? For one thing, they are vertical solutions that are well-suited to our smaller outdoor spaces. They can turn an awkward space into something useful. Raised planting beds are also more accessible.

The reality, too, is raised beds are an easy and practical solution for homeowners who are struggling with poor quality soil that is compacted, nutrient-deficient or has a drainage problem. In the small or large landscape, garden boxes or garden walls can help define or separate garden rooms.

In addition to the product’s longevity and realistic wood texture, Patram says the Bridgewood Wall plays off the bestselling Bridgewood Slab, a long, rectangular paver with the look and feel of weathered wood. With the trend towards a seamless transition from the indoor living space to the outdoor living space, Bridgewood Slab evokes the rustic feel of wide plank flooring.

If the surface we walk on feels good underfoot, then it improves our enjoyment and use of the outdoors. When Bridgewood Slab debuted a few years ago, its rustic wood look, available in weathered grey or cedar brown, represented a revolutionary step forward in outdoor paving. I’m not about to tear up and replace my too-typical brick-style pavers just yet, but it’s tempting.

Arborwood, another new launch for this spring, has a weathered look and feel that is similar to the Bridgewood Slab; however, it is a thicker product (six centimetres compared to five centimetres) and costs less. Arborwood’s concrete linear planks come in two colours — Timber Wolf Grey and Kodiak Brown. Only one size is available — 80 cm long and 20 cm wide.

Patram says Arborwood can be used to create a patio or walkway. Interestingly, the linear shape of Arborwood lends itself nicely to a stepping stone type of pathway where each paver is separated from another by pea gravel or bark chips. A type of water-permeable hardscape, the eco-friendly result is less water runoff, as moisture is able to percolate more readily into the ground.

Leaving space between pavers, about 15 to 20 cm, creates a floating effect. This is not only easier on your budget and more sustainable, it also allows for more creativity. Try planting low-growing ground covers between pavers, such as creeping thyme for a lush, natural look that is wonderful to the touch. Lawn grass between pavers creates a nice effect, too.

Entertaining guests and spending time with family in our outdoor spaces is one of the best parts of summer. The price point for an outdoor kitchen remains high for many homeowners. There is the matter of available space, too.

At 198-cm tall and 116-cm wide, the Harvest Grove compact pizza oven kit, introduced by Barkman in 2018, fits easily onto an existing heat-proof countertop, or a patio base can be purchased separately.

If last summer’s sizzling temperatures are an indicator of what to expect this year, maintaining adequate moisture for lawns and gardens will be a challenge. Greenlawn Yard Company specializes in irrigation services and landscape lighting and will be a first-time exhibitor at this year’s Home + Garden Show.

Healthy lawns are a priority for many homeowners, says Lee Klassen, president of Greenlawn Yard Company. Sustainable water consumption practices are a priority, as well, which is why Klassen relies on a water-efficient system that utilizes a smart irrigation controller or timer.

Hydrawise Wi-Fi irrigation control, an engineering innovation by Hunter Industries, a North American irrigation manufacturing company, has a built-in sensor that adjusts optimal sprinkler run-time based on local weather conditions. If an irrigation system is built and installed by an irrigation specialist and the timer is programmed professionally, Klassen says there is the potential to irrigate your landscape using half the amount of water you would normally use.

Although Hydrawise represents a new technology that only became available as recently as 2016, Klassen says its usage has already made its way into the mainstream as more homeowners strive to conserve water.

Klassen will also be featuring Luxor landscape lighting. Outdoor lighting continues to grow in popularity, Klassen says, especially with the advent of LED options. Luxor Lighting is owned by Hunter Industries.

All the Luxor products are manufactured and assembled in Canada, Klassen says.

Landscape lighting extends the use of your outdoor space. It also enhances safety by lighting your way along a pathway or sidewalk at night.

In addition to uplights, downlights, path lights and specialty fixtures for ponds, walls and stairs, as well as a smart timer that determines the level of brightness in specific areas of your landscape, there is now the option to add colour. What would be the advantages?

There is a palette of 30,000 colours, Klassen says, that have the ability to change how you illuminate a space.

"Trees and plants have their own unique colour," Klassen says, "washing them in a specific colour really changes the individual impact of their features in a landscape."

I’m not sure if I’m sold on that idea, but Klassen says there are also colour options for decks and patios to match decor settings or special occasions such as parties or celebrations.

"Just set the timer or transformer for a specific time period — paint your house red, for example, for a two week period at Christmas — and then return to a warm white palette," Klassen says.

You decide. There will be plenty of expert advice on hand.

colleenizacharias@gmail.com