Got a yard in desperate need of help? DIY Network is looking for you.
The network’s show Desperate Landscapes is looking for a yard to renovate for its sixth annual one-hour special, America’s Most Desperate Landscape. The winner will get a landscape renovation in a two-day blitz, which will be featured on the special premiering June 5.
The first winners of the dubious honor were from right here in Northeast Ohio, Chris Johnson and Leslie Srodek-Johnson of Sagamore Hills Township.
To apply, fill out the form at www.jaytv.net. You’ll be asked to upload specific types of photos and an optional video, so read the instructions first and then get busy. The deadline is Friday.
Big Spring in Cleveland
Cleveland Botanical Garden is welcoming back the warmth with a new seasonal celebration, Big Spring.
The event, which opens next weekend, is aimed largely at kids. It’s a larger-than-life adventure featuring giant symbols of spring such as enormous ladybugs, flowers and garden tools.
Little visitors can enjoy such activities as a Ladybug Labyrinth maze, the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, mealworm races and a giant game of chess.
Big Spring isn’t just for children, however. It will feature more than 30,000 tulips and other spring flowers in bloom.
The event kicks off with Flower Power, a ’60s-theme preview party for grown-ups, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Friday. Cost is $60 for members and $75 for others. For reservations, call 216-721-1600, ext. 100, or visit www.cbgarden.org.
Big Spring is open from March 23 to April 28. Admission is $12, or $8 for children ages 3 to 12. Members and younger children are admitted free.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays; and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.
Cleveland Botanical Garden is at 11030 East Blvd. in Cleveland’s University Circle neighborhood.
Photography contest
Green landscaping and its relation to water quality is the focus of the 2013 Clean Water photography contest, sponsored by the Summit Soil and Water Conservation District.
The contest theme is “ ‘More Trees Please’ and Other Environmentally Friendly Lawn and Landscaping Practices.”
Entries can be submitted through Aug. 1. Individuals can submit up to three photos. The winner will receive a cash prize and may have his or her work displayed on a billboard.
Details and the entry form are at www.summitswcd.org.
Events and programs
• Crafts and Collectibles Sale, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today, Portage County Gardeners’ Center, 5154 S. Prospect St. (state Route 44), Rootstown Township. Free admission. Sponsored by the Ravenna Garden Club.
• Friends of the Library Needlework Show, Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library, 3512 Darrow Road, Stow. Entries accepted 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and 1:30 to 4 p.m. Sunday. Show open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and March 23, and 1-4 p.m. March 24. 330-688-3295.
• Gardeners of Greater Akron meeting, Monday evening, St. George Fellowship Centre, 3204 Ridgewood Road, Copley Township. Social hour starts at 5:30, dinner at 6:30. Speaker: Jim Chatfield, Ohio State University. $13. Reservations: 330-336-6269. Information: 330-673-3553 or http://ohiogardeners.org.
• Dormant Pruning Workshop, 8 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Secrest Arboretum, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster Township. Instruction and practice. $50. Registration: 330-464-2148.
• Protecting Honeybees From Pesticides, 9-10 a.m. Wednesday. Webinar led by entomologist Barb Bloetscher of Ohio State University and the Ohio Department of Health. Part of the OSU Bee Lab webinar series. To participate, join the Bee Lab mailing list at www.osupollination.com. Information: ellsworth.2@osu.edu or 330-263-3723.
• Spring Barn Sale, Thursday through March 23, Portage Trail Barn, 151 Portage Trail Extension W., Cuyahoga Falls. Handmade and repurposed home-decor and other items made by local vendors. Hours: 3-8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 23. www.PortageTrailBarn.com.
• Spring Arts and Crafts Show, 5-9 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 23, Greenbriar Conference & Party Centre, 50 Riffel Road, Wooster. Juried show. Free admission. www.greenbriarwooster.com.
• Vegetable gardening seminar, 8:45 and 10 a.m. March 23, Copley High School, 3807 Ridgewood Road. Presented by Vince Matlock, Summit County master gardener. Free. Seminar is part of the Summit County Farm Bureau’s annual Farm Care/Share event, which also includes children’s activities and a breakfast for $1 starting at 8 a.m. 800-654-5158.
• Gardening in the Community, 9 a.m. to noon March 23, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1250 W. Exchange St., Akron. Information for community gardeners and garden enthusiasts. Presented by the Summit County Master Gardeners. $10. Registration deadline is today. Information: Sarah Vradenburg, 330-612-0234, or http://summitmastergardeners.org.
• Herbs for Health & Beauty, 11 a.m. March 23, Donzell’s Flower & Garden Center, 937 E. Waterloo Road, Akron. Speaker: Barb Oare, Quail Hollow Herb Society. Free. Registration: 330-724-0550, ext. 110.
• Chickadees in the Spring, 1-2:15 p.m. March 23, Beech Creek Botanical Garden & Nature Preserve, 11929 Beech St. NE, Washington Township near Alliance. Learn about chickadees, protecting them and attracting them to your property. Free. Advance registrations requested but not required. 330-829-7050 or www.bcbgarden.org.
• The Elegant Egg show and sale, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 23 and 1 to 5 p.m. March 24, First United Methodist Church, 263 E. Mill St., Akron. Display and sale of decorated eggs. Pictures with the Easter bunny from 1 to 4 p.m. both days. Egg decorating classes at 2 p.m. March 23 ($10; register at ohioeggartistsguild@yahoo.com or 330-322-7966). Pancake breakfast from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 23 ($6, $4 for children ages 5 to 12, free for younger children). Show admission $4.50, or free for children 12 or younger accompanied by adults. No strollers permitted. Presented by the Ohio Egg Artists Guild. http://TheElegantEgg.weebly.com.
• Garden Club of Kent meeting, March 25, Pierson Meeting Room, Kent United Methodist Church, 1435 E. Main St. Dinner at 6:30 p.m., program at 7:30. Program: Introduction to Heirloom Tomatoes. Dinner $9. Reservations due Friday at 330-673-1686.
• Pond program, 6-8:30 p.m. March 26, Camp Asbury, 10776 Asbury Road, Hiram Township. Learn about fish selection for a recreational fishery and riparian buffers. Free. Registration deadline is Friday. 330-297-7633.
Submit notices of classes, programs and events two weeks in advance to mbrecken@thebeaconjournal.com or Home and Garden News, Features Department, Akron Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron, OH 44309-0640. Please include name and phone number. All events must be open to the public.
Mary Beth Breckenridge can be reached at 330-996-3756 or mbrecken@thebeaconjournal.com. You can also become a fan on Facebook at http://tinyurl.com/mbbreck, follow her on Twitter @MBBreckenridge and read her blog at www.ohio.com/blogs/mary-beth.