Green Acres is the place to be - so say the new suburbanites

CHARLOTTE - It's been more than four decades since the series first aired, but just say "Green Acres," and city slickers Oliver and Lisa, taking on life in the country, come quickly to mind. Or, maybe, if the growing trend of boomers moving into rural areas is any indication, they never really left our minds.

This year's Southern Spring Home and Garden Show, Feb. 27-March 2 at the Charlotte Merchandise Mart, gives a small glimpse at how many of these newly minted 'urban farmers,' focus their lifestyles.

Custom Buildings of Huntersville, N.C., has teamed up with the 4-H Horse Program, landscapers and equipment dealers to create an idyllic, but functional outbuilding that accommodate horses, gardening and the homeowner's search for tranquility.

The result, and what show guests will see, is an appealing custom structure that has a fully stocked potting and gardening room, a combination workshop and tractor room and a paddock and tack room. Members of the 4-H Horse program and their horses are also part of the display.

Why this shift from intense urban living? Seems we can thank, or blame, technology for part of this trend. Technology allows people to work, virtually, from any place. And, technology has created some very wealthy people who can afford country homes, horses and all the latest tools they need to enjoy their new way of living.

Because the influx of affluent new neighbors has put a strain on the infrastructure in many rural areas, the show's building and adjacent gardens focus on conservation. The gardens include ways to easily collect rain water for reuse, how to effectively include solar unit and keep the aesthetics intact, how to incorporate recycled materials and create walkways or foot paths that allow moisture to soak back into the earth.

The 4-H students will be onsite throughout the show ready to talk 'horses,' as well as 4-H doings. Apparently even 4-H has seen a big growth in city kids eager to learn how to ride and care for horses, as well as study the ropes of basic living.

This year's show is themed, Shades of Green, and the green theme will be seen and felt throughout the show's 20 gardens, in the designer rooms, the horticulture market and outdoor living pavilion. There's a large Green Building area, kitchen and bath pavilion and interiors section that includes a designer marketplace (sophisticated name for attic sale), plus there's travel, food, lawn and garden equipment and just about everything one could possibly need for inside and outside the home.

Show guests will also enjoy hundreds of Orchids, Bonsai, Ikebana, a series of welcoming doors, created by the Charlotte Council of Garden Clubs, plus N.C. Extension's Successful Gardener Learning Center where they'll have new 'showstopper' plants and lots of gardening information.

For more details, or to order tickets, call 704-376- 6594, or go to www.Southern- SpringHomeandGarden- Show.com.