It's finally here! Your first red tomato. You reach in, twist it off the vine and have a look. And there it is - a big black spot on the bottom of the tomato.

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.

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

The grass is up and growing and the roar of lawn mowers can be heard throughout the neighborhood. Minimize the negative impact of your gas mower on the environment with a few easy tricks.

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.

It seems to be everywhere – your garden, lawn and cracks in the sidewalk.

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

It’s foamy, slimy and rather disgusting to look at. And nothing describes it better than its common name – dog vomit mold fungus.

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

A healthy lawn is your best defense against weeds. So if you want to reduce the problem - long term- you need to learn a bit more about the weeds.

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.

If each year you find yourself trying to squeeze more plants into less space, it may just be time to expand one or more of your planting beds.

Falling leaves make a great mulch in the woods, but can spell death for groundcovers and the lawn. Make clean up easy for you and good for the environment.

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

As you pack it in for the winter, don’t forget about your garden tools.

As the summer growing season winds down, it’s a great time to prepare your landscape for next season. Start with a soil test. The results can save you money and the environment.

Improve your garden’s beauty, increase your enjoyment, and reduce stress five minutes at a time.

Creating a beautiful flower garden can be overwhelming, but understanding a few key concepts can make it much easier.

Don’t end up with a driveway full of excess topsoil and mulch waiting for friends and family to haul away the surplus for their gardens. Do a bit of math in advance and order just the amount needed.

Being kind to the environment does not have to be difficult. In fact, it can save you time and money.

Hostas are great for shade and low maintenance gardens. But with hundreds of choices it can be a bit overwhelming. So the American Hosta Growers Association has stepped in to help.

Be a weather watcher and grow a better garden. Weather events like spring floods, summer droughts, temperature extremes and unseasonable weather episodes can have long term impact on our plants.

A break in the cold winter temperatures can be a welcome reprieve for gardeners, but not such a good thing for our spring flowering bulbs.

Invest a bit of time now to prevent thousands of weeds and save yourself hours weeding next year.

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

Save time and energy and keep your landscape looking its best with mulch.

Don’t let cold soil and late spring frost delay the start to your garden season.

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

Prepare your lawn mower now for the grass cutting season ahead. You will minimize breakdowns, frustration, and improve the health and beauty of your lawn.

Try a bit of preventative care in this year’s garden. You’ll increase your landscape’s beauty and productivity with less work on your part.

Keep your plants looking good and be kind to the environment despite the risk of disease problems.

Tame those unruly perennials with a little early season pruning.

Don’t drag that Christmas tree to the curb. Give it a second life in your landscape.

Cut trees make great windbreaks in the landscape. Strategically place discarded Christmas trees on the windward side of rhododendron, boxwood and other broadleaf evergreens to reduce problems with winter burn.

Break out the broom and sweep your way to cleaner drinking water.

Mulch your garden beds with shredded leaves, evergreen needles, or other organic matter. It conserves moisture while suppressing weeds and improving the soil.

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.

No matter the time of the season, weeds seem to grow and thrive. Keeping them under control will give you a healthier, more productive and attractive garden.

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

Help your roses through the winter and be rewarded with beautiful blooms next season.