Summer is leaving us and with its passing, many flowers are dying.  One of the things I really liked about our new house is the mature plants and landscaping but I’m already starting to miss the Black Eyed Susans and other flowers that are becoming dormant. 
After some research, I found some fall blooming flowers that will help to keep your yard looking great.  I didn’t have to look far for help.  Better Homes & Gardens always has great tips for your home.  It’s interesting that many of these flowers are not the traditional fall colors. 

You might want to try these fall …read more

September is the best time to buy plants and patio furniture. Home improvement stores and garden centers are anxious to move their summer inventory so that they can make room for the fall and winter merchandise. It’s a great time for you to save.

Now that’s it’s the end of summer, stores are drastically marking down their patio furniture.  Most stores have marked their inventory down 75% percent!  I found chairs, tables, and benches, but unfortunately I could not find a matching set of anything.  Perhaps you will have better luck than I did.  I’m still hoping for an unexpected bargain somewhere.
Another …read more

I missed out on growing a summer garden.  We were just so busy.  I don’t remember all of the chain of events, but it seemed like it was one thing  after another.  Now we’re under contract to buy a house and I’m giving thought to planting a fall garden.

If you plant in late summer, you can grow things such as broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, brussel sprouts, collards, cucumbers, lettuce, kale, onions, spinach, radishes, and carrots.  Even if you’ve missed the spring and summer gardening times, there are plenty of vegetables that grow well during colder months.
NC State University has a list …read more

Last summer we did a lot of landscaping to our yard.  During the lawn improvement project, we tore out an old gas lamp which left a bare spot.  Something really needed to go in that area.  My husband went to our local home improvement store and came home with a butterfly bush.  It was inexpensive and according to the picture, would product pretty purple blooms and would attract butterflies.  What we didn’t anticipate was how huge this bush would get.
By the end of summer last year, the bush was already a pretty good size.  It was constantly being visited by …read more

Last weekend, we went back to our old house to pack up the rest of our things before it was sold.  While I was walking around the yard, I was reminded of all the volunteer plants that could be put to good use.  There were volunteer azalea bushes, ivy, trees, and many other kinds of plants and bushes. 

Several years ago, my parents gave me some volunteer bushes they had growing in their yard.  I planted the small bushes in my yard and within a year or so, the bushes were tall and well developed.  The bushes didn’t cost me any …read more

Summer will be here before you know it. Now is the time to be thinking and planning ahead for ways that you can enjoy the great outdoors this year.  Here’s some ideas to get you started.
Get a grill – If you already have a grill, then get it working.  Clean it up and change any needed parts.  You also might want to get a grill cover to keep the rain and weather from causing damage.  I don’t know about you, but once summer rolls around I enjoy cooking outside.  It keeps me from heating up the house and there are so many foods …read more

Guest post by Bekah.
Everyone knows it’s good to be as green as possible, but the high price of many organic products can have people reaching for conventional chemical-based pesticides and fertilizers. Well, there are plenty of ways to be frugal – and eco-friendly – with gardening and yard maintenance.

Weed Control
There are many ways to deal with weeds. You could use stand-bys like Round-Up, which is readily available. But did you know that there are eco-friendly options that are safer for pets and kids – and cheaper? One option is to get a weed puller. There are many options out there, …read more

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I’m sure that we have all learned in school why our leaves change into those gorgeous colors, but I was just reading something interesting in the November issue of Martha Stewart Living and she has a different take on it and I like it! According to folklore, apparently Jack Frost had quite a bit to do with it… at least the brightly colored leaves that we love so much. The story goes that he pinched those particular leaves with his frigid fingers and they turned red. He then …read more

 
image from personal collection, ©mmacalincag2008