Posts Tagged ‘spring’
The latest gardening craze is Fairy Gardening. This magical movement enthralls gardeners of all ages. Fairy gardens are tiny creative worlds complete with miniature furnishings, fairy-scale plants and plenty of mystique.
Creating a fairy garden is a fun project! Here are a few tips to make sure your garden is a success.
Choose a container that is not too deep. There are many interesting and funky things that make great fairy gardens from tea cups to tool boxes, old bird baths to antique wheelbarrows the choices are endless. Try to always use a good weed free potting soil. Never use topsoil or black earth as plants cannot breathe in these heavy soils that lack nutrients. It is important to wet your soil prior to pressing it into your container. This makes it easier to design your garden and mold it with hills and valleys, and is better for the plants. Once you have your base you can begin to plant your fairy plants. Choose low growing varieties for filler and spillers and at least one accent plant for a thriller. Your fairy garden will not be completely covered in plants at first and that is fine. They need room to grow. You can cover the exposed soil with pea gravel or coloured stones. Most garden centres carry an extensive line of fairy garden plants now. Polished stones can make excellent paths and accents in fairy gardens.
Once your garden is designed and planted the fun begins as you can decorate with the many cute fairy garden accessories available from fairy houses to potting benches, fairy signs and sunflowers, fairy benches, bridges and buckets. There are so many interesting and adorable miniature fairy things to choose from.
Now how are you going to keep this wonderful little garden thriving? Always water gently, but thoroughly using a small container with a spout. If your garden is inside a good watering once a week is enough. If it is outside then it may need water every day. Fertilize at least once a month with an all purpose fertilizer 17-5-17 at ½ strength. How much light? Inside the house, choose a bright location but not all day direct sunshine. It is important to rotate your garden weekly so the plants do not stretch. If placing outside it depends on your plants but filtered bright sunlight is usually best. To maintain the plants, clip low-growing plants short once a month. Taller plants can be pinched or trimmed back as necessary.
Some fun fairy facts are that fairies are mischievous and love fresh flowers. Fairies live in hollowed out tree trunks, under toadstools and often where there are streams. Sometimes, you will hear bells and jingles in the garden and this is where the fairies will likely be, as they love to dance. They can live to be over 100 years old and their favourite drinks are honey, milk and nectar. Often tangles in the hair of little girls is the work of fairies. The disappearance of small objects can also be a clue that fairies have been visiting.
The most important fact of all is that you have to believe in fairies before you will ever see them.
If you are interested in learning more about fairy gardening join us on May 14 and 15 for Fairy Weekend at Gemmell’s Garden Centre,1862 Hwy. 15 N, just outside of Smiths Falls. We will have our wings on!
Submitted by Dave Robertson
Spring is usually the busiest time of the year for the real estate market, and this season is looking to be no exception.
Real estate activity starts to heat up in March and normally peaks in the month of May, before it slowly tapers off through the remaining of the summer. November through February is unsurprisingly the slowest time of year for real estate sales.
Thanks to the early warm weather, we saw many new listings come on the market sooner normal. Over the past five years, we’ve seen an increasing amount of inventory available on the market. We typically would see eight to 12 months of inventory at this time of year, but we already have approximately 15 months worth on the market. This means there is more competition among sellers, and more supply for buyers to choose from.
In Lanark County and North Grenville, when we look at the length of time a home typically takes to sell, the average days on market is up to 126 days. This is slightly higher than past years but is expected to decrease slightly during the summer period.
The number of expired listings over the last five years has consistently increased as well. (An expired listing is when a home has been placed on the market with a licensed real estate agent but doesn’t sell during the term of the contract.)
When we consider all of this together — high inventory levels, extended days on market, and increase in expired listings — it describes a market that is more favourable for buyers than sellers. Buyers are able to shop the plentiful inventory and find the best deals. Record breaking low interest rates also make it easier for home buyers afford their next dream home.
However, all is not hopeless for sellers. Numbers of unit sales continue to increase year over year. The recipe to getting your home sold typically boils down to three key ingredients: price, condition, and marketing. Having a competitive asking price is critical to having your home stand above the competition. Close price to list price remains very close at 97 per cent with only 3 per cent of the price being negotiated during the sales period.
Buyers are also looking for homes that are move-in ready. Sellers are encouraged to finish their renovation and improvement projects before placing their homes on the market. Proper home staging is also a must in today’s market.
Finally, you want to ensure that you have a powerful marketing strategy designed to maximize the exposure of your home to as many qualified buyers as possible.
The Lanark and North Grenville area has a diverse amount of available homes both in highly populated city centers such as Almonte, Carleton Place, Kemptville, Smiths Falls, and Perth, and in many rural and cottage areas. More than 50 per cent of the market is made of homes in the $200,000 to $350,000 price range, with a quarter of homes being in the $250,000 to $300,000 range.
Over the past five years for this area, resale home prices have increased consistently at approximately 3.7 per cent every year. It is cautioned, however, that average sales price information can be useful in establishing trends over time but should not be used as an indicator that specific properties have increased or decreased in value.
Dave Robertson
Sales Representative
Keller Williams Solid Rock Realty
1 Antares Drive, Suite 110, Ottawa, ON, K2E 8C4
Direct: 613-355-7313
daverobertson@kw.com
FRIDAY
– Friday March 11 – 9 – 4:30 – 6:00pm – PUBLIC SKATING – Smiths Falls Community Memorial Centre, 71 Cornelia St. – $2 per person
SATURDAY
– Saturday March 12 – 12noon – 2:00pm – PUBLIC SKATING – Smiths Falls Community Memorial Centre, 71 Cornelia St. – $2 per person
– Saturday March 12 – “Breathing For Jacqui” Night with Smiths Falls Bears- Smiths Falls Memorial Community Centre
– Saturday March 12 – THE HUB SWIM AND RAY’S REPTILES SHOW – Public Swim from 1:30 – 3:00pm $2 for everyone – Ray’s Reptiles Show at 3:30pm in Gallipeau Theatre – Adults $4; Children 2-12 $2; kids under 2 free – 361 Queen St. – Cash only
– Saturday March 12 – 7 to 11pm – Skating Dance!$5 , Youth Arena, Bring your skates
– Saturday March 12 – 7:00pm – 40 PLUS SINGLES DINNER & DANCE – Civitan Club, Hwy 15 – DJ music, casual dress no jeans, cash bar – $10 at door
– Saturday March 12 – 7:00pm – BEATLES BOOK LAUNCH – Station Theatre, 53 Victoria Ave. – Tickets $10
SUNDAY
– Sunday March 13 – 2:00am – Daylight Savings Time Begins – Spring Forward – move your clocks 1 hour ahead
– Sunday March 13 – 1:00 – 2:00pm – PUBLIC SKATING – Smiths Falls Community Memorial Centre, 71 Cornelia St. – FREE – sponsored by CIBC
– Sunday March 13 – 7:00 – 8:30pm – PUBLIC SKATING – Smiths Falls Community Memorial Centre, 71 Cornelia St. – $2 per person
Posts Tagged ‘spring’
The latest gardening craze is Fairy Gardening. This magical movement enthralls gardeners of all ages. Fairy gardens are tiny creative worlds complete with miniature furnishings, fairy-scale plants and plenty of mystique.
Creating a fairy garden is a fun project! Here are a few tips to make sure your garden is a success.
Choose a container that is not too deep. There are many interesting and funky things that make great fairy gardens from tea cups to tool boxes, old bird baths to antique wheelbarrows the choices are endless. Try to always use a good weed free potting soil. Never use topsoil or black earth as plants cannot breathe in these heavy soils that lack nutrients. It is important to wet your soil prior to pressing it into your container. This makes it easier to design your garden and mold it with hills and valleys, and is better for the plants. Once you have your base you can begin to plant your fairy plants. Choose low growing varieties for filler and spillers and at least one accent plant for a thriller. Your fairy garden will not be completely covered in plants at first and that is fine. They need room to grow. You can cover the exposed soil with pea gravel or coloured stones. Most garden centres carry an extensive line of fairy garden plants now. Polished stones can make excellent paths and accents in fairy gardens.
Once your garden is designed and planted the fun begins as you can decorate with the many cute fairy garden accessories available from fairy houses to potting benches, fairy signs and sunflowers, fairy benches, bridges and buckets. There are so many interesting and adorable miniature fairy things to choose from.
Now how are you going to keep this wonderful little garden thriving? Always water gently, but thoroughly using a small container with a spout. If your garden is inside a good watering once a week is enough. If it is outside then it may need water every day. Fertilize at least once a month with an all purpose fertilizer 17-5-17 at ½ strength. How much light? Inside the house, choose a bright location but not all day direct sunshine. It is important to rotate your garden weekly so the plants do not stretch. If placing outside it depends on your plants but filtered bright sunlight is usually best. To maintain the plants, clip low-growing plants short once a month. Taller plants can be pinched or trimmed back as necessary.
Some fun fairy facts are that fairies are mischievous and love fresh flowers. Fairies live in hollowed out tree trunks, under toadstools and often where there are streams. Sometimes, you will hear bells and jingles in the garden and this is where the fairies will likely be, as they love to dance. They can live to be over 100 years old and their favourite drinks are honey, milk and nectar. Often tangles in the hair of little girls is the work of fairies. The disappearance of small objects can also be a clue that fairies have been visiting.
The most important fact of all is that you have to believe in fairies before you will ever see them.
If you are interested in learning more about fairy gardening join us on May 14 and 15 for Fairy Weekend at Gemmell’s Garden Centre,1862 Hwy. 15 N, just outside of Smiths Falls. We will have our wings on!
Submitted by Dave Robertson
Spring is usually the busiest time of the year for the real estate market, and this season is looking to be no exception.
Real estate activity starts to heat up in March and normally peaks in the month of May, before it slowly tapers off through the remaining of the summer. November through February is unsurprisingly the slowest time of year for real estate sales.
Thanks to the early warm weather, we saw many new listings come on the market sooner normal. Over the past five years, we’ve seen an increasing amount of inventory available on the market. We typically would see eight to 12 months of inventory at this time of year, but we already have approximately 15 months worth on the market. This means there is more competition among sellers, and more supply for buyers to choose from.
In Lanark County and North Grenville, when we look at the length of time a home typically takes to sell, the average days on market is up to 126 days. This is slightly higher than past years but is expected to decrease slightly during the summer period.
The number of expired listings over the last five years has consistently increased as well. (An expired listing is when a home has been placed on the market with a licensed real estate agent but doesn’t sell during the term of the contract.)
When we consider all of this together — high inventory levels, extended days on market, and increase in expired listings — it describes a market that is more favourable for buyers than sellers. Buyers are able to shop the plentiful inventory and find the best deals. Record breaking low interest rates also make it easier for home buyers afford their next dream home.
However, all is not hopeless for sellers. Numbers of unit sales continue to increase year over year. The recipe to getting your home sold typically boils down to three key ingredients: price, condition, and marketing. Having a competitive asking price is critical to having your home stand above the competition. Close price to list price remains very close at 97 per cent with only 3 per cent of the price being negotiated during the sales period.
Buyers are also looking for homes that are move-in ready. Sellers are encouraged to finish their renovation and improvement projects before placing their homes on the market. Proper home staging is also a must in today’s market.
Finally, you want to ensure that you have a powerful marketing strategy designed to maximize the exposure of your home to as many qualified buyers as possible.
The Lanark and North Grenville area has a diverse amount of available homes both in highly populated city centers such as Almonte, Carleton Place, Kemptville, Smiths Falls, and Perth, and in many rural and cottage areas. More than 50 per cent of the market is made of homes in the $200,000 to $350,000 price range, with a quarter of homes being in the $250,000 to $300,000 range.
Over the past five years for this area, resale home prices have increased consistently at approximately 3.7 per cent every year. It is cautioned, however, that average sales price information can be useful in establishing trends over time but should not be used as an indicator that specific properties have increased or decreased in value.
Dave Robertson
Sales Representative
Keller Williams Solid Rock Realty
1 Antares Drive, Suite 110, Ottawa, ON, K2E 8C4
Direct: 613-355-7313
daverobertson@kw.com
FRIDAY
– Friday March 11 – 9 – 4:30 – 6:00pm – PUBLIC SKATING – Smiths Falls Community Memorial Centre, 71 Cornelia St. – $2 per person
SATURDAY
– Saturday March 12 – 12noon – 2:00pm – PUBLIC SKATING – Smiths Falls Community Memorial Centre, 71 Cornelia St. – $2 per person
– Saturday March 12 – “Breathing For Jacqui” Night with Smiths Falls Bears- Smiths Falls Memorial Community Centre
– Saturday March 12 – THE HUB SWIM AND RAY’S REPTILES SHOW – Public Swim from 1:30 – 3:00pm $2 for everyone – Ray’s Reptiles Show at 3:30pm in Gallipeau Theatre – Adults $4; Children 2-12 $2; kids under 2 free – 361 Queen St. – Cash only
– Saturday March 12 – 7 to 11pm – Skating Dance!$5 , Youth Arena, Bring your skates
– Saturday March 12 – 7:00pm – 40 PLUS SINGLES DINNER & DANCE – Civitan Club, Hwy 15 – DJ music, casual dress no jeans, cash bar – $10 at door
– Saturday March 12 – 7:00pm – BEATLES BOOK LAUNCH – Station Theatre, 53 Victoria Ave. – Tickets $10
SUNDAY
– Sunday March 13 – 2:00am – Daylight Savings Time Begins – Spring Forward – move your clocks 1 hour ahead
– Sunday March 13 – 1:00 – 2:00pm – PUBLIC SKATING – Smiths Falls Community Memorial Centre, 71 Cornelia St. – FREE – sponsored by CIBC
– Sunday March 13 – 7:00 – 8:30pm – PUBLIC SKATING – Smiths Falls Community Memorial Centre, 71 Cornelia St. – $2 per person
