Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Life

Tag: outdoor tips

  • Hedge and Shrubbery Ideas for Private Backyard Spaces

    Some people call hedges “living fences,” because both fences and hedges serve as privacy barriers. Hedges are certainly nicer to look at, and are quite easy to care for most of the time. Along with shrubs, they can provide the finishing touches on your backyard landscaping. The greenery is much more elegant than a fence, and it creates a more intimate space to enjoy with family and friends.

    You can plant hedges to mark your property lines and line your driveway. Along with shrubs, they can highlight parts of your grounds, like a garden or patio. There are more benefits to hedges and shrubs, too. They can create sound barriers, wind barriers and reduce the amount of snow that comes onto your property.

    Choosing the Right Trees for Hedges

    Hedge trees can be divided into two main categories. Evergreens keep their color throughout the year, and they are excellent for providing privacy, as well as noise and snow reduction. Deciduous trees change colors and may have flowers, but they lose their leaves in the cold weather. Your choices will depend on the type of climate you live in.

    If you want your hedge to be tall, the Green Giant Arborvitae and American Arborvitae can both soar up to 60 feet high. The Green Giant can grow about 3 feet a year, while the American’s height increases more slowly. Both are hardy and easy to grow. The Nigra Arborvitae is not as tall, topping off at around 30 feet; the Emerald Arborvitate is the smallest of these two evergreen shrub hedges, at about 15 feet. Other evergreen trees that grow into nice, thick hedges include holly and boxwood.

    Using Shrubs as Hedges

    You can plant a row of shrubs in front of your evergreen trees for added interest, but shrubs can grow into hedges without the backdrop. There are many different varieties of hedge shrubs, and some produce lovely flowers that attract birds and butterflies. One of the most familiar is the Rose of Sharon, which flows beautifully when thriving. Another is the Golden Ticket Privet, which sports bright yellow leaves and white flowers.

    North Privet is another fast-growing shrub. The Scarlet Firethorn has a split personality; it grows as an evergreen in warm climates, but as a deciduous shrub in colder ones. It has thorny branches, white flowers and orange berries. It can also grow up to 18 feet tall.

    Planting Hedges and Shrubs

    Using a measuring tape and stakes, mark out the planting area, taking care to avoid utility lines. You can plant the trees or shrubs in a straight line, on a curve or however else you like. Know in advance how tall and wide your selected plants normally grow, and space out the potted shrubs accordingly.

    If you plan for two rows, your hedge will be much thicker and more private. Dig out the holes, and lower in the shrubs. Water them well, and add some mulch. Faster growers will fill in more quickly.

    Hedges and shrubs do not require a lot of maintenance, but you should be on the lookout for disease and pest infestations. You can keep them in shape with occasional pruning to remove dead growth. Many homeowners shear their hedges to give them formal appearances, while others prefer a more casual look. You can fertilize shrubs occasionally, but too much of this will increase growth and the need for trimming perhaps more than you anticipated.

    Shrub Design Ideas

    Shrubs can grow into living fences, but they can also add character and beauty to your yard. If you have a larger yard, you can create focus areas with seating and flowers. Highlight this with a few well-placed shrubs along the borders. Shrubs can also serve as backdrops for other focal points, like sheds and light posts, and they can highlight flowers and rock arrangements.

    Not all shrubs are large, so you can place smaller ones along paths to outline them. If you like flowering varieties, pick a few colors that complement one another. These can also be coordinated with your hedges. Alternatively, you can plant larger green shrubs behind smaller, flowering ones for depth and contrast.

    Many varieties of trees and shrubs change color throughout the year, and this should be kept in mind when planting. Imagine fiery orange and red leaves or white and purple flowers next to a dark green evergreen. With some dedicated thought and planning, you can design a backyard oasis that is private, relaxing and worth staying home for.

  • Ask A Pro Q&A – How to Properly Mount a Deck

    Looking for the best way to mount your deck? Carson Arthur answers this question about the best way to tackle this DIY.

    Question: Can I bolt two sides of a deck to the house and have the other two sides just sitting on concrete blocks?

    In theory, yes you can. We often mount decks to the house using proper lag bolts and screws. As for the other corners in the yard, you will want to use something more solid than concrete blocks as the weight of the deck will cause them to sink into the soil over time causing your deck to start to lean. Take a look at some proper footings available at any box or construction stores. They work the same way as concrete blocks, but they disperse the weight better so you avoid that sinking feeling.

    -Carson Arthur.

  • Fall 101 with Outdoor Pro Carson Arthur

    I can’t believe that I am about to talk about a fall checklist…but according to the calendar and according to the nip in the air at night, its time to start thinking about the end of summer <<Gasp>>. I’m personally a little torn by this. I love the gardening season, but there is something very special about the turning of the season that I also really love. Maybe it’s the autumn leaves or the smell in the air or even the fact that the outdoor temperature is now comfortable even at noon; whatever the case, I’m not too upset that its time to think about putting the gardens to bed.

    There are a few things that home gardeners get wrong at this time of the year. First off is bulb planting. I love tulips and daffodils in the spring, but I never plant the bulbs in the ground until the soil temperature is below 4 degrees Celsius. Being patient when planting your bulbs is so important to ensure that they stay dormant until spring. Also, remember that the squirrels will probably dig your bulbs up if you are not smart about how you plant them. Squirrels like to steal food from other squirrels. They look for areas of disturbed soil thinking that this is where their neighbor has hidden something edible. When you are planting your bulbs, make sure to disguise the area with some leaves so that it looks like the ground is still undisturbed.

    Speaking of your leaves; KEEP THEM. I know that some homes have huge maples or other deciduous trees in the yard and the amount of fallen leaves far exceeds any needs that you may have. However, mulched or composted leaves are the best fertilizer you can get for your gardens. Leaves that have been running through the mower are also fantastic as an insulator. A few years ago I bought a Black and Decker 3 n1 leaf vacuum, blower, and mulcher, and it’s become my go-to tool for creating my own free fertilizer.

    Don’t forget to wrap your plants and trees! Once again, Mother Nature is giving us some early warning signs of another hard winter to come; specifically, all of the cone-bearing evergreens have them at the tops of the trees. This is a sign that we are in for another rough season, which is going to be hard on your plants. Go out and invest in lots of tree wraps and burlap. Having a windbreak is crucial for plants like rhododendrons, cedars and even your rose of Sharon. The key is to wrap your tree snuggly enough that the burlap will stay up in the wind, but not too tight as they break branches. You should also wait until your plants have gone dormant, which is tough for your evergreens. I like to wrap my tender shrubs and bushes at the end of October.

    You may not have to start thinking about these jobs now, but trust me, winter is really just around the corner!

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  • Fall Lawn Prep with Outdoor Pro Carson Arthur

    Fall is the perfect time to get your lawn prepped for spring, and now is the time to do it! Most homeowners ignore their lawns in the fall but the cooler weather is fantastic for your grass. During this time of year, your lawn is actively storing water, nutrients and generating energy so that it can make it through a long winter. If you take care of it now, you’ll have a healthier, lusher looking patch of green in the spring!

    Now is the time to lower the blade on your mower. I keep mine between 3 and 3.5”s during the warmer months. In the fall, it is time to drop it down to 2”s to allow more sunlight to get to the crown of the grass.  There are a couple of things to remember; never cut off more than 1/3 of the blade length at a time. This is really hard on the grass.  You can lower then mower once by a third, and then again by a third in the second cutting. If you have a bagging option, now is a good time to put it on. Removing some of the cuts blades will help your lawn can more oxygen down to the roots as better airflow can occur without the build-up of cuttings (called thatch).

    Aerating in the fall is also a great solution for getting oxygen, moisture, and nutrients the roots. The best aerators remove plugs of soil that are 3”s long. This is the perfect depth to reach the roots below the ground.

    Feeding the lawn in the fall is actually more important in my mind than doing it in the spring. The fall fertilizer helps the roots grow below the soil, encouraging an earlier and deeper flush of green grass once the snow melts. Look for fertilizers like a 0-6-6 combination. Make sure to avoid a fertilizer with a high first number as this encourages more leaf growth above ground. Instead, get a high middle and last number. This promotes root growth and improves the overall health of your lawn.

    I wait until early October for my last fertilizing of the year.

    I like to top-dress the bald spots on my lawn at the end of September. The occasional rainfall and the cooler temps are perfect for seed starting. When buying your grass seed mix, also get a bag of topsoil. By blending the two BEFORE you spread the mix on the lawn, you get a higher rate of germination of the seeds because you’ve ensured the “seed-to-soil” contact that they need to grow.

    Weeds are also getting ready to go through the winter months. This makes them extra susceptible to herbicides and natural treatments as they are in full “absorption-mode”. Just be careful and follow the instructions on whatever weed solution you decide to go with and wait until the end of Oct to apply. This is extra important in the areas that you’ve planted new seeds so that they have a chance to get better established. Finally, rake those leaves!  Getting the leaves off the lawn before they become a wet mat that smothers your lawn is so important. Try these steps and you’ll be the envy of the neighborhood with the greenest and happiest lawn on the block!