Ten Plus Ways to Improve Your Yard in the Fall

Ten Plus Ways to Improve Your Yard in the Fall By Stephen Shelton “Fall is for Planting” is the old nurseryman’s slogan. It gives new plants time to get adjusted to their new location. Whither you are planting new shrubs and trees or transplanting from one location in the yard to another, water all new...

Pollinator Garden Do’s and Don’ts For 2021

First things First - What is a pollinator garden? It is any garden designed, developed and maintained to attract beneficial insects, birds and animals using flowers, herbs. shrubs and trees to create a sustainable environment. They can range in size from a collection of potted plants on a patio or balcony to multi-acre estates.  Pollinator...

Ten Landscape Do’s and Don’ts for 2021

1. Don’t top your trees.  Period.  It’s a fairly well known fact you should not top crape myrtles, but this also applies to all trees with only a very few exceptions.  Fruit trees for purposes of production and harvesting ease is one example when topping is ok.  Flowering and fruit trees that are being trained...

Pansies, Pansies, Pansies – It’s Pansy Planting Time!

After reworking one of my beds this fall, I decided to plant pansies for winter color. It's really not a complicated process, but a good opportunity to try out a video format. We are fortunate to live in a mild climate where pansies are able to bloom from October to May for winter color. I'll...

Quarantine Fall Gardening

Our “New Normal” is getting old, but it doesn’t seem to look like it’s going to end anytime soon.  May I suggest a creative, educational, family project that might help you pass the time and give you some reward for your efforts. Existing Summer Container Garden Now is a great time to plant a Fall...

Secret Garden Patio Phases

A NEW PROJECT My newest work in progress at home is a secret garden patio. The site is located behind the house, more precisely behind the master bath, at the back of the house. When we moved in, it was nothing more than a shrub border leading to the side yard, leading to the front...

Dog Days of Summer

Dog Days of Summer When it is so hot all you want to do is get in out of the heat, yard work is a four letter word. Noone wants to be outside in triple degree heat if they can help it, but this is the perfect time to grab your favorite cold beverage, and...

Creating an Eco-Friendly Garden and Landscape

Let me begin by saying “I am not a tree hugger.” I have been involved with landscaping in one way or another for over 50 years since I started mowing neighbor’s yards when I was twelve until now as a landscape coach/consultant many years latter. I have seen many gardening trends from trying to eliminate...

Last Minute Gift Ideas for the DIY Home Gardener

It’s one week till Christmas, and if you have a home gardener or DIYer on your list of people you would like to bless in this season of giving, I would like to offer a few simple suggestions. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on fancy tools or expensive flowers or bushes....

10 Tools Every DIY Gardener Should Own

10 Tools Every DIY Gardener Should Own I grew up with hand tools, not power tools. Of course those were the days of gasoline powered mowers and edgers, not weed eaters, or any other power tool for that matter. Never mind the thought of battery powered tools other than a flashlight. Gone are the good...

Proper Pruning Techniques

Proper Pruning Techniques A tree is a great thing of beauty that lives for years, decades and in some cases for centuries. It hurts my soul to see one trimmed improperly. It’s hard to believe, but improperly trimming a tree can actually shorten its lifespan, or kill it outright. I’m no arborist, but I am...