Add season long interest to your garden with the 2011 Perennial Plant of the Year.

The summer weather and your busy schedule have left your landscape looking a bit weary. There’s still time to add sparkle and enjoy your landscape this summer.

Mix things up and add a bit of sparkle to your landscape this season.

Don’t let your air conditioner break the family budget or be an eye sore in your backyard. Try one of these affordable solutions to improve the view and keep your air conditioner running smoothly.

You decided to save money or perhaps try something new and ordered bare root plants from a catalog or through the internet. Now you are wondering what to do with them once they arrive.

So what do you do when those bare root perennials, shrubs, roses, or fruit plants you ordered arrive before you and your garden are ready or the weather is suitable for planting? Don’t despair you can preserve your investment with minimal effort.

Turn your attention indoors and give those tender annuals overwintering a bit of TLC.

Celebrate Arbor Day by planting new trees or caring for your established ones in your landscape and community.

Don’t discard those left over seeds from last season. When properly stored, many seeds can last for years, saving you money when you plan and plant this year’s garden.

Mint, beebalm, and purple coneflower are garden favorites that often get out of hand. Tame these and other garden bullies with a few planting and maintenance strategies.

Bring a bit of the desert, tropics or evergreen forest to your backyard. Container plantings allow you to push the limits of your growing environment.

We all need a pick me up now and then and so do our gardens. Here are a few things you can do to add a bit of instant beauty to your landscape.

Reduce maintenance and improve your plants’ health by creating large planting beds around trees and shrubs.

Keep your flowers blooming longer and your garden tidier with a bit of deadheading.

Avoid dulling your mower blades and more importantly damaging your trees by creatively dealing with the surface roots.

Overcrowded, poor flowering and floppy perennials can be invigorated with a shovel and a bit of your time and energy.

Cooler air and the crackle of burning wood mean fall for many. But don’t destroy the forest by moving firewood. Instead use wood from local sources.

Stop – don’t top that tree. Instead, make sure it is properly pruned for years of health, beauty, and enjoyment in your landscape.

So it seems your perennial garden is filled with more weeds than flowers. Now is a great time to reclaim your garden by getting the weeds under control.

Flopping perennials can ruin the beauty and enjoyment of your garden. Take note and prevent future problems with a bit of proactive care.

Let ‘em stand for winter - perennials that is - for a healthier more floriferous garden next year.

The brilliant fall color in our landscapes is a magical transformation that happens each year. And the science behind it all is just as intriguing.

Add a little extra color and beauty to your fall landscape.

A forsythia bloom in fall? It’s not as unusual as you think.

Whether gardening on a balcony or an acre lot – there is always room for an evergreen. The many new dwarf varieties available make it easy for everyone, even balcony gardeners, to include evergreens in their landscape.

Evergreens provide more than year round greenery. Find new and interesting ways to include them in your landscape.

So you decided to brighten the winter landscape with a few lights.

Don’t sacrifice beauty for function when you can have both. Select long blooming shrubs that can screen bad views, create barriers and serve as the framework or a focal point in your landscape.

Get the most from every square inch of your landscape by including long blooming perennials.

Heavy snow and ice can wreak havoc on our landscapes. Proper handling of storm damaged plants can help minimize long-term damage.

X may not mark the spot in the garden – but bulbs, plant markers or standing stems sure can help guide your cleanup efforts next spring.

Balloon flower, butterfly weed and swamp mallow are a few of the plants that emerge late in the spring. This makes it easy to accidently weed them out during spring clean-up.

Tired of looking at the fading foliage of early season bloomers? Mask the ugliness of these declining leaves and increase the beauty of your landscape this season.

Improve the health and longevity of your trees and shrubs with a bit of preventative care.

Now is a good time to make sure your garden provides a colorful finale to the growing season.

Don’t let a lack of space keep you from growing trees in your landscape. Consider planting columnar trees in containers and narrow spaces.

Don't worry if your evergreen has yellow or brown needles all along the trunk. This is a common occurrence called seasonal needle drop.

Trees, shrubs and perennials are great for container gardens. But as winter approaches we need to provide a bit of care to help them through the winter.

Whether you are sharing a piece of a favorite plant, a bit of family history, or a shared memory, pass-along plants have long been a part of the gardening tradition.

One of the biggest plant investments you make for your landscape is your trees. Help insure their longevity by planting them right.

Start with a call to 811 at least three days before digging in. This free service will mark the location of all underground wires. This one call can save you money and even your life.

Use shrubs in the landscape for extra color, a bit of privacy and year round beauty.

Procrastination is a good thing when it comes to cleaning up your landscape in fall.

Tame those unruly perennials with a little early season pruning.

Tame those floppy potentilla and spirea and bring other overgrown summer flowering shrubs down to size in late winter through early spring.

Late spring is the time to bring overgrown lilacs, forsythia and other spring blooming shrubs down to size.

Late winter after the coldest weather has passed through early spring before growth begins is a great time to prune trees. Make proper cuts to insure the health and longevity of your plants.

Winter is often the time we break out the pruners and start shaping trees and shrubs. Before making that first cut, be sure you are pruning with a purpose in mind.

Add a bit of season long color to your landscape with purple leafed shrubs.

Beautiful reddish purple buds line the branches and trunks of the picturesque redbud tree. As the temperatures warm the buds burst into rosy pink or magenta blooms. And this is just the beginning of this tree’s beauty.

Removing faded flowers can promote repeat bloom and more compact, healthier growth.

Tight budgets or just a sense of wonder may have you looking for annuals that readily reseed in the garden.

Add structure and a year round framework to your shady landscape with shrubs.

Birds can add color and motion to your landscape year round. Planting shrubs that provide food and shelter is an easy and affordable way to bring birds into your backyard.

Your mailbox and dining room table are overflowing with catalogs filled with pictures of beautiful flowers and scrumptious vegetables. With so many choices it can be a bit overwhelming – I can help.

Memorial Day is the traditional start of gardening for many. Get your plants off to a healthy start with proper planting.

Include annuals on your Memorial Day planting list. They can add a little color and even fragrance to any garden in any season.

Add a bit of color and fragrance to your entryway with a spring container garden.

Expand your indoor and outdoor garden by taking cuttings from your favorite plants.

Moving trees and shrubs can be tricky and heavy work. Make the move in spring before growth begins or in fall as the plants go dormant for greatest success.

Walk off some of those holiday calories and gather ideas for your garden. Look for trees and shrubs that provide interesting form, bark and texture in the winter.

Some of your impatiens, geraniums and other annuals overwintering indoors may be looking a bit unkempt. Break out the pruners and get busy with a little grooming.

Tired of constant pruning or need a change from those green gumdrops, hockey pucks and meatballs? With a bit of time and patience you can convert these back to their natural beauty.

Don’t let standing water, seasonal flooding, and poorly drained soils stop you from growing a beautiful landscape. Try one of these strategies to manage the excess water and create a healthy environment for your landscape plants.

Save energy, care for new trees, and conserve water in one easy step.

Save time, energy, and conserve water while caring for your new trees.

Get your garden off to a winning start by including a few All-America Selections winners in this year’s garden.

Make this the fall you protect your evergreens before winter winds and snowloads cause your arborvitae to split and rhododendrons to wither.