5 Top Landscape Design Trends That’ll Take Your Yard to a Whole New Level

And the time to start envisioning your “outdoor living space” is now. “It’s best to start that planning process now over the winter, so your lawn will be ready come spring,” says Henriksen. “Just like a homeowner may carefully consider the design elements of a particular room, the landscape should be given that same level of thoughtfulness.” To start, ask yourself […]

How to Keep Your Lawn Green in Hot, Dry Weather

We’re into the dog days of summer early this year, so you may need a few suggestions for how to keep your lawn green in hot, dry weather. Many people’s lawns are beginning to show signs of stress. It’s frustrating to put in a new lawn and get it to successfully germinate, only to have […]

Expert: Early spring risky for some plants

It’s uncommon but not unprecedented: An early spring leads to plants and trees starting to bud. “We’re about a month early,” said Joe Sulak, urban forester for the city of Columbus. But danger still lurks for plant life, which is responding to a mild winter and a long streak of above-average temperatures. Freezing temperatures, snow […]

Will Warm Winter Wither Plants?

Ithaca, N.Y. — With record warmth throughout the Northeast in December and early January, gardeners and commercial growers are asking: “Will the warm weather wither my plants?” The quick answer is: It depends. In addition to the particular plants involved and your location, how your plants fare depends on how quickly cold temperatures return, how cold […]

Early Spring Flower Planting

Planting flowers in the early spring is a great way to get a jump start on having a beautiful yard. Certain types of flowers can be safely planted as soon as the last snowfall has melted away and the ground has thawed. Bulbs Normally, bulbs are planted in the fall. However, there are certain bulbs […]

Fall Lawn Care

Contrary to popular opinion, fall is the best time of the year for lawn care. Fertilization, weed and thatch control, establishment of new lawns, and renovation of poor quality lawns should be done over the next few weeks. The best time of the year to fertilize your lawn is early fall. Northern Illinois lawns are […]

Late-Summer Flowers

Annuals are Key to All-Summer Color There are a few perennials that save their big show for the end of the summer. Among them: Rudbeckia (yellow flowers) and helenium. The ultimate perennial garden. It’s not difficult to bring that vision to mind. For me, it’s a classic English border, with iris, lupine and poppies, that […]

Annual vs Perennial

Annual vs Perennial Plants * Annual plants complete their life cycle in one year: Perennial plants have a longer life cycle. * However, some plants that are perennials in their native land are treated as annuals in a different region. Annuals and perennials are two kinds of plants that show enormous differences between them. An annual […]

Types of Plants that Grow in the Winter

Most plants and flowers are known to blossom during the spring and stay dormant during the winter. Some shrubs and plants do blossom and thrive during the winter and become a valuable source for non-migrating birds or bees. Some are also bright and ornamental with bright red berries, and are often associated with the holiday season. […]

About Fall Colors

One of the nicest things about living in northern climes is the ever changing seasons. For a few weeks, nature puts on one of its most spectacular displays as native trees and shrubs finish out the growing season in a brilliant display of fall colors. Jack Frost usually gets credit for the beautiful colors, but, […]

Annual or Perennial?

What is the Difference Between Annual Perennial Biennial Flowers How Long Do The Plants Live and How Soon Will The Plants Flower Is that flower an annual, perennial, biennial? Define your terms! Which one(s) are you planting in your flower garden this year? Does it matter? Of course it matters! What is an Annual Flower: […]

Autumn Rainbows Around Your Home

When you see the breathtaking fall foliage, it might inspire you to plant your own “rainbow of colors” in your home landscape. Of course, your planting zone is important. See http://www.fast-growing-trees.com for a map of the U.S., showing zones 3 (far north) to 10 (deep south); you can give your zip code to find out […]

Fall Care and Clean-up of the Garden and Landscape

With the arrival of autumn colors comes the time to get the outside garden and landscape chores wrapped up. To avoid getting caught unprepared, plan tasks just ahead of nature’s time-table: 1 Valuable houseplants that have summered in the garden or patio rate immediate attention as the month of September approaches. Most are tropical in […]