Lawn

Drought and excessive heat damaged many Kentucky lawns last summer, and continued dry conditions into the fall left homeowners with little chance of repairing them. But the next couple of weeks provide a chance for another try at getting the lawn back into shape. Lawns with south and west facing slopes and those on heavy soils sustained the most damage from the hot, dry weather. These areas just couldn't get re-established in the fall, but it is an option this spring. Now, until the first of April, is a good time to get new grass stands established.

At the first sign of green grass in the spring, it is tempting to dust off the fertilizer spreader to apply nitrogen to the lawn. If you applied nitrogen late last fall or winter there's no need to apply nitrogen this spring because the lawn already should be starting to green up. Applying nitrogen now also will make grass less heat and drought tolerant and cause more problems with weeds and diseases. Weeds compete with grass for moisture and nutrients. But if you did not fertilize the lawn last fall, applying nitrogen this spring will be beneficial because it will green the lawn and make it look better for a few weeks.

The results of soil analysis are no better than the core samples you collect for your home lawn, garden or orchard. It's like the adage, "garbage in, garbage out. " Your Jessamine County Cooperative Extension Service has information on how to properly take samples and the benefits of soil tests. Boxes for samples are also available at the extension office. When collecting soil cores from your home garden or lawn, be sure to take samples from the area on which you want fertility data and separate them according to land use. You'll need to take different samples for a lawn, garden, fruit trees, ornamental shrubs and azaleas because each may have distinct fertility, acidity or alkalinity requirements.

Delbert D. "Bear" Spears, 59, of Somerset, died Thursday, May 3, at Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital.  Born in Blue Ash, Ohio, Delbert was a son of the late Luther and Claudine Larkin Spears. He was self-employed as a lawn mower and repairer of lawn mowers. Survivors include sons, Scottie Hodge and Delbert D. Spears II; daughters, Renee Huling, Tisha Nevels and Cordelia Keith; brothers, Danny, Glenn and Dewey Spears; a sister, Elaine Alsman; a companion, Pat Lee; and 10 grandchildren.

Picnic tables for the Great American Brass Band Festival are available. The tables seat eight people and cost $150. The tables are located in both upper and lower sections of the Centre College lawn. Call Pat Liebschutz, chairman, at (859) 236-7000.

(Sun photo by James Mann)The "Keep Off Grass" sign at the rear of the Clark County Courthouse didn't pertain to custodian Denny Arvin, who was mowing the lawn for the first time this year. Signs of spring, which arrives next Wednesday, including warmer temperatures and growing flowers and grass, are evident throughout the city and county.

As part of Bluegrass PRIDE's Bring on the Barrels project, five rain barrels are displayed throughout Danville and will be there until the end of May. They can be found at Danville's city hall, the Community Arts Center, the Historic Antique Mall, The Hub Coffee House & Cafe and The Maple Tree Gallery. These rain barrels were painted by artists and students from Mercer County. Bring on the Barrels is a project that encourages citizens to become aware of water quality issues, especially in the springs.

STANFORD - For the past two summers, many Kentucky lawns were left patchy and brown, thanks to the lack of rain. For a beautiful, healthy lawn this summer, the time to start is now. Mark Douglas, owner of Green-N-Grow Landscape Solutions on Ky. 1247, said seeds should be sown by March. Don't worry if the sowing has not been done yet. Douglas said starting lawn maintenance in early April can yield favorable results as well. The most crucial part of healthy green grass is the elimination of crabgrass and other unwanted weeds.

Decorative Christmas lights adorn Dick Howells' house and lawn on McDowell Drive, top photo, this Christmas season. The house is one of many throughout Winchester and Clark County decked out for the holidays this year. A Christmas angel, center, and two reindeer light the lawn of a home on Harkins Drive earlier this week. Three lighted polar bears watch over them from the porch above. Santa, left, looked quite bored earlier this week when he was spotted in a rocking chair along with Mrs. Claus on the front porch of Joe Waddell's home on South Maple Street.

Veterinarian Dr. Barry Skaggs outlined an innovative health program he devised to 13 Canadian cattle feeders and others on hand at his clinic Wednesday morning on Boonesboro Road. Skaggs' program was a major factor in luring the Canadians to Clark County to assess the feasibility of buying feeder calves from area farmers. The second annual Courthouse Square Arts and Crafts Show will be held Saturday on the lawn at the Powell County Courthouse. The show is open to all artists and crafts people in the area, according to Jerlene Rose, president of the Powell County Art Club, sponsor of the event.