Tips for Northern Gardeners
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Classic Yard Tips for Northern Gardeners |
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| Gardeners have been composting for centuries to increase organic matter in their soil as well as to provide essential nutrients for plant growth. | |
| Annual plants provide splashes of color to the landscape. There are varieties of annuals that will grow and bloom in the hottest sun while others will thrive in the deepest shade. With such a wide variety to work with, it is easy to design beautiful flower beds for your home. | |
| Bulbs are one of the quickest ways to add color to the landscape. Many fall planted bulbs are among the first flowers in spring and with some of the brightest of colors. In summer, many of the spring planted bulbs provide us with cut flowers of unlimited colors as well as adding color to the garden. | |
| Whether you are establishing a new lawn or reseeding an existing one, following a few simple steps will insure success. | |
| Providing for and feeding wild birds can be a very rewarding and enjoyable activity. Bird feeding is the most popular form of providing for wildlife and is practiced by more than one-half of all homeowners. | |
| Many different woody plants can be used to create attractive hedges or screens, adding beauty and privacy to the home landscape. | |
| The importance of herbs dates back thousands of years. They have been used in cooking, medicines, as fragrances and cosmetics, and for adornment. Besides the numerous uses of the plants, they are easy to grow and require a small amount of care and attention. | |
| The installation of landscape edging and use of mulches adds the finishing touch to any landscape project as well as serving many beneficial purposes. | |
| The investment you have made in your home is one of the largest you will make in your lifetime. For many families the investment in landscaping their homes can exceed 10% of the value of the property. A well-designed and installed Landscape Irrigation System is a must to protect this investment and enhance the property value. | |
| In daylight hours a well-designed landscape is full of color, texture and form. But as night falls, the gnarly trees turn to shadows looming over the grass. The flower beds and pathways are lost in the darkness. Properly designed and installed outdoor lighting can bring back this lost beauty. It illuminates the best features of your landscape, while leaving dark those areas you wish to conceal in the shadows. | |
| Grasses have always been the predominate part of our native prairies. We are most familiar with the use of them in the landscape as groundcovers, or what we would normally refer to as lawns. However, when used in the landscape, certain varieties of grasses can add a great deal to the texture, color, movement and even sound of the garden. | |
| Most perennials are valued in the landscape for their colorful blossoms. Some make excellent cut flowers as well, while others are valued for foliage that can add color and texture to the garden, such as Silver Mound or the ornamental grasses. There are literally hundreds of varieties of perennials to choose from, with an almost infinite variety of blooming times, color and texture. | |
| In almost all cases more long term damage results from the lack of pruning than from any pruning that is done. Following a few simple rules should allay any apprehension you may have of pruning and help you to develop and maintain a more beautiful landscape. | |
| With their exquisite form and variety of color and fragrance, it is easy to understand why they are America’s favorite flower. However, getting started with roses can be an overwhelming experience for the beginner because of the many different types and varieties of roses and the care that some of them require. While some roses do require regular care, there are many that do not. | |
| How to select and protect fruit trees suitable for our climate. | |
| Shrubs and trees can be found growing in a wide variety of soil and site conditions. Different varieties of shrubs can be found growing in locations ranging from very wet to very dry, from very low pH to a very high pH and from very exposed and sunny sites to dense shade. If you have a yard with a special problem situation, it is important to select a shrub that will grow and even thrive under those conditions. | |
| Plant the right tree in the right place. Sound simple enough, doesn’t it? Tree selection can seem to be a complex, time-consuming process, but it doesn’t have to be with the right information at your fingertips. | |
| Water gardening is increasingly becoming a favorite activity for many backyard gardeners. The inviting art of water gardening has been understood by the Japanese for a thousand years: The creation of a restful corner or retreat. |