GardenSpotlight

Now that the soil is warming up, it’s time to start prepping your gardens for the new planting season. If you have established perennial gardens, then not too much will be needed other than cleaning out the debris between the established plants. Now is also a good time to either pull or cultivate out the weeds that are beginning to grow. You may also choose to feed the perennials as you water with a liquid fertilizer, or spread a granular fertilizer on top of the soil between the plants at the recommended rate on the label and then water in well. If you are developing a new area for your garden, you should evaluate the type of soil you have and determine if it needs additional drainage. Creating a new planting bed will require some effort on your part, but you will be rewarded handsomely by the fruits of your labor. (Pun intended) A good weekend project, you will need a wheelbarrow, spading fork, square-edged shovel and some good muscle rub cream or access to a hot tub for afterwa...

If you would like to create a wonderful attractive landscape at your home but do not know where to start, there are many different places to draw your inspiration from. Having landscaping how to thoughts is not nearly as hard as you may think. Take a look at that house that gets your attention every time you drive by. Take some mental notes, take a few pictures or possibly even stop by and ask the owner where he came up with his wonderful looking yard. Books and magazines about landscapes and designs are a good source of inspiration. The Internet is full of landscaping plans and articles that will get your brain thinking of all of the possibilities. Look around enough and you may find some sample landscape plans, pictures, and tips from experts in the field. If you decide to design your yard around a centerpiece, two of the more common ones are decks and patios. These outdoor centerpieces add usefulness to your home while making your outdoor living area seem larger. Decks and patios...

Ahh...January. Well, actually almost February. The Holidays are over and gardeners are beginning to long for spring (well, we always long for spring and summer since that's what we do :-). I was playing this morning on Better Homes & Gardens' website and they have a great online garden planning tool. Go check it out at http://www.bhg.com/ . Our daughter has long been talking about putting in a garden sanctuary, as she calls it, behind our home. We thought it was just a passing phase, but turns out she's very serious about it and has designed on paper just how she wants it. It's quite detailed too. There's a pond (in addition to the large pond we already have) for her pet turtle, "Squirt." There is a park bench, a picnic table and chairs, a three-tier fountain with statuettes around it, stepping stones, a pool (for us humans), a pergola, an arched entrance with a garden gate and lattice fencing, and 4 separate garden plots. One for vegetables, one for ...