(ARA) – As Mother Nature adorns the trees in your yard with riotous reds, vibrant yellows and exotic oranges, you can easily get swept up in the romance of the season – until those leaves turn brown, drop from the branches and litter your lawn. Then you start to think of the hours of backbreaking raking work ahead of you.

This autumn, why not try working with Mother Nature by mulching those leaves instead of raking, bagging and condemning them to a landfill?

Leaf mulching is a time-saving, environmentally friendly way to deal with fallen leaves. Plus, if you live in a community that has cut back on collection services due to the economy, mulching can solve your dilemma of what to do with the leaves littering your lawn.

“It doesn’t make sense to rake leaves and bag them, just to have them end up decomposing in a landfill,” says Dr. Phil Dwyer, senior scientist at The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company. “Leaf mulching recycles a natural resource and enriches the soil of your lawn for free.”

In fact, turf benefits by receiving more nutrients when you mulch fall leaves back into the lawn instead of raking them, according to a study by Michigan State University turfgrass researcher Thom Nikolai and ScottsMiracle-Gro scientists. Recycling fallen leaves saves time and money, adds nutrients to the soil, speeds spring greening and reduces weeds.

Here’s how to recycle this fall’s crop of fallen leaves:

* Remove the grass catcher from your lawn mower. Mow over the leaves on your lawn. Repeat until they are reduced to dime-sized pieces.

* Mow until you see about half an inch of grass through the mulched leaf layer.

Any kind of rotary-action mower will do the job, and all kinds of leaves can be mulched. Throughout the season, you can chop up to 18 inches total of leaf clutter with several passes of the mower. Having a somewhat thick layer of mulched leaves is okay as long as you can still see the green grass blades poking through. As leaf bits settle into the ground, microbes and worms get to work recycling them.

Once you’ve enriched your soil with leaf mulching, don’t forget that fall is the best time to feed and seed your lawn. A few simple steps can help ensure that your lawn will be strong next season and beyond:

* After mulching, feed your lawn with Scotts Turf Builder WinterGuard fall lawn fertilizer to help build strong, deep roots for a better foundation and a more robust lawn next year. The nitrogen in the fertilizer will also help the mulched leaves decompose faster. Be sure to sweep excess fertilizer off hard surfaces like driveways and sidewalks.

* After feeding, spread seed where needed. To reseed your bare spots, dig up bare areas, mix in compost, sow your seeds and cover with more compost. If the weather is dry, keep the seeded soil moist until new grass begins to grow. Seeding autumn bare spots will thicken the lawn and make it more resistant to future bare spots.

To learn more about leaf mulching and autumn lawn care, visit www.scotts.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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2. A Quick Trip To Your Local Lawn And Garden Supply Store Will Make Your Yard The Envy Of The Neighborhood
3. Avoiding the ‘Rakes and Pains’ of Autumn Yard Work

Tip: Once you know what you want to add, plant new perennials and shrubs in the fall, and you will have larger, stronger plants with better blossoms next spring.

(ARA) – As the crisp fall air ushers in a new season, many gardeners may be left wondering: what now? Garden experts from across the country weighed in with their tips on the best things you can do this fall for a fabulous garden next year.

Plant now, bloom later

Judy Nauseef, president of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD), suggests planning ahead for next spring. “Fall is the time to take stock of your garden and plan for next year,” she advises.“You can see what worked and what didn’t, where you have holes and what needs to be replaced or moved.”

If you need help assessing your garden, she recommends calling in a professional landscape designer for help. You can find one in your area at www.apld.org.

“Once you know what you want to add, plant new perennials and shrubs in the fall, and you will have larger, stronger plants with better blossoms next spring,” adds Nauseef.

Many perennials provide color through the end of the season, especially trendy grasses. For your shade garden, try Hakonechloa ‘Beni-kaze’ from Briggs Nursery for its attractive green foliage that turns brilliant red in the fall. This gorgeous flowing Japanese forest grass is stunning planted in mass with ferns, hostas or other shade-loving perennials.

Give your containers a fall facelift

By summer’s end, container plantings have often seen their day. Give your tired containers a fresh look by adding bright fall annuals and colorful foliage in bold fall colors of red, orange, deep purple and gold. There are still plenty of plants available at your local garden center that will see your containers through the cooler months of fall.

“There are plenty of pansies, mums and asters available, but don’t stop there,” says Ed Bemis, of the Massachusetts Flower Growers Association. “You can create wonderful unique fall flower pots using foliage and flowering plants in the colors of autumn.”

Some favorites are yellow, red and rust colored snapdragons that will keep blooming through a bit of frost, and orange and rust coleus.

Everything’s coming up roses

“Fall is an excellent time for planting, and roses are no exception,” says Steve Hutton, plantsman and president of Conard-Pyle Co.

“Establishing roses in the fall is easy,” adds Hutton. “The weather and soil conditions are better in the fall, as opposed to spring when it tends to be cold, muddy and wet.”

For fall color, Hutton recommends planting the new Drift groundcover roses. Continuously blooming from spring to early frost, they are naturally dwarf, with very attractive foliage. Just remember to give them plenty of water and lots of sun.

Frost protector

No matter what you’re growing, a sudden frost or freeze is deadly, spelling doom to your garden and landscape. Protect your lush flowering baskets, vegetables, herbs and favorite plants from Jack Frost with FreezePruf, new this year from The Liquid Fence Company. This non-toxic spray can increase a plant’s tolerance to cold and protect home gardens from damage caused by cold.

This means gardeners can get a couple more weeks of growing and harvesting – at least two weeks earlier in spring and two weeks later in the fall. Just imagine tomatoes in October and mums still blooming after Thanksgiving.

Deer-proof your garden

Winter months are some of the deadliest times for deer destruction in the garden. “Deer are creatures of habit and stay near a good food source – like your backyard,” says Dave Mizejewski, naturalist with the National Wildlife Association. “A lush garden or lawn is a magnet for hungry deer and rabbits, especially in the winter.”

To keep deer out, look for all-natural products, like Liquid Fence Deer & Rabbit Repellent, that use taste and scent aversion to turn animals off your plants and make them unappetizing to common garden-munchers.

Repellents should be applied monthly and should be reapplied after a heavy downpour of an inch or more.

Winterize your accessories
Mother Nature “naturalizes” cast stone and terra cotta garden accessories, but the harsh forces of winter can cause fine planters, birdbaths and statuary to crack and crumble.

According to the “garden accessory connoisseurs” at Campania International, a little care will help your garden “art” last for generations.

Cast stone planters and statuary should be raised off any surface which freezes and thaws. Terra cotta planters, which can absorb moisture and are subject to winter freeze-thaw cycles, should be stored indoors for winter.

If your planters are left planted outside over the winter, raise them off the ground so they will drain and not freeze to the surface. To winterize both cast stone and terra cotta accessories, simply place them on two pressure-treated wood strips, making sure not to block the drainage hole.

For birdbaths and fountains, bring tops in for the winter. All bases, bench legs and statuary should be raised up off the ground, so as not to freeze to the ground’s surface.

Remember, fall is for more than watching football games and raking leaves. It’s the best time to protect your investment, so you can have a glorious spring garden.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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Compost bins and tumblers are a hassle-free way to create good-for-your-garden compost.

Leaves turn brilliant colors, evenings cool and the kids go back to school. So long summer, hello fall garden cleanup.

You may already know that composting is a better way to deal with bags of leaves and backyard waste. But if you’ve avoided composting because it seems like too much work and mess — or you just weren’t sure how to start — fall is a great time to try your hand at turning this year’s yard debris into next year’s natural fertilizer.

Composting delivers many benefits. Modern gardeners face strict waste removal ordinances in many communities. Plus, growing environmental consciousness inspires gardeners to minimize their eco footprint while cleaning up the back yard. Composting is a cost-effective, eco-friendly way to convert your yard debris into “black gold” – a nutrient rich, all-natural, safe fertilizer for next spring’s planting season.

Fall, by nature, is an exceptional time to begin composting. Dry leaves, grass clippings and woody materials represent a large percentage of total yard waste. Each offers either the carbon or nitrogen components necessary for the decomposition process that takes place during composting. Add air and water, and you’re well on your way to rich, loamy compost.

The trick to successful composting is to maintain a working balance between carbon and nitrogen. A simple rule of thumb is to use one-third green and two-thirds brown materials. This allows oxygen to penetrate and nourish the organisms that reside within the material.

You don’t have to live with an unsightly, foul-smelling compost heap to do your part for the environment. Compost bins and tumblers are a hassle-free way to create good-for-your-garden compost. Bins are basic, but tumblers add an element of motion, something that can enhance the quality of your compost.

Tumblers add an element of motion to enhance the quality of your compost.

The Tumbleweed Compost Tumbler by Clear Air Gardening is a good example of how tumblers work to produce great compost. The Tumbleweed holds 58 gallons worth of kitchen scraps and yard waste. When full and finished breaking down, each batch contains enough compost for a medium sized garden or flowerbed, or a 10 feet by 10 feet area of lawn.

Unlike typical tumblers, the Tumbleweed features a stainless steel rod running through the middle of the bin that helps break down materials even more quickly than tumblers without a rod. The twist-lock, animal resistant lids on each end make filling and emptying the compost tumbler simple. Built-in vents allow rainwater to drain easily, keeping your compost moist, aerated and odorless. The end result is organic, nutrient rich compost in as few as 21 days. All that’s required is a daily spin of the tumbler.

Compost materials can be added to bins and tumblers year round. Although the process will naturally slow or cease in the winter when temperatures decline, the process will resume again in the spring and summer as temperatures slowly begin to rise.

First time composters may be surprised to find that finished compost smells earthy, fresh and natural. They may be even more surprised to learn that compost can suppress plant diseases and pests, reduce or eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers and increase water retention in the soil — all great benefits that ultimately save consumers money while safeguarding the environment.

Convenience and environmental stewardship aside, compost is essential to vibrant lawns and healthy gardens. The rich macro and micro nutrients in the well-aerated compost replenish the soil that grasses, shrubs, trees and flowers need to grow and fend off disease.

Compost started in fall can be used for planting fall bulbs, trees, transplants and as mulch to protect vegetation from winter’s cold. Fall leftovers can be used to prepare the soil in spring for vegetable gardens, flowerbeds and around trees and shrubs. As mulch, compost will retain moisture in the summer.

For more information on creating your own “black gold” by composting, visit www.cleanairgardening.com.

Courtesy of ARAnet

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Avoiding the 'Rakes and Pains' of Autumn Yard Work

As the leaves turn different colors and the weather becomes cooler, many Americans begin to engage in outdoor cleanup. Consider the number of Americans injured in yard work accidents every autumn and you may begin to suspect that “fall” is actually short for “pitfall.” Fall, it seems, is becoming the season for back injuries, tumbles from ladders and lawn mower accidents.

“Approximately 42 million people seek emergency room treatment for injuries each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” says Brett Taylor, MD, spokesperson for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). “Many of these injuries can happen while performing seemingly routine tasks, like autumn yard work.”

The AAOS offers a few simple tips to avoid common autumn injuries while in the yard:

Rakes and Pains

Brightly colored fallen leaves are one of the charms of autumn, but raking them also sends thousands of people to emergency rooms each year. Raking is vigorous exercise, and you should pay close attention to your arms and back to avoid injury.

To prevent injury from raking, be sure to:

* Warm up for at least 10 minutes with some stretching and light exercise.

* Use a rake that is comfortable for your height and strength. Wear gloves or use rakes with padded handles to prevent blisters.

* Keep your vision free of impediment, like hats or scarves and beware of large rocks, low branches, tree stumps or uneven surfaces.

* Vary your movement, alternating your leg and arm positions often. When picking up leaves, bend at the knees, not the waist.

* Wet leaves can be slippery; wear shoes or boots with slip-resistant soles.

* Do not overfill leaf bags, especially if the leaves are wet. To avoid back injury, you should be able to carry bags comfortably.

* Never throw leaves over your shoulder or to the side. The twisting motion required to do so places undue stress on your back.

Clean up that Lawn

It will soon be time to store the mower until spring, but chances are you will mow the grass a few more times before the snow falls. Or, you may use it to collect leaves or and lawn clippings. You may love your lawnmower, but keep in mind it is a powerful tool – one that can cause significant injury. In 2007, more than 225,000 people were injured by power, manual and riding lawn mowers, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

To avoid lawnmower-related injuries be sure to:

* Make sure the engine is off and cool before you begin any maintenance work or refuel your lawnmower.

* Never use your hands or feet to clear debris from under a lawnmower. Use a stick or broom handle instead. Likewise, never touch the blades with your hands or feet, even if the engine is off. The blade can still move and cause serious injury.

* Never remove safety devices, shields or guards on switches.

* Do not leave a lawnmower running unattended.

* Wear protective gear like goggles and gloves, boots and long pants when mowing. Never mow barefoot or in sandals.

* Do not consume alcoholic beverages and mow.

Ladder Safety

Autumn is a great time to clear out gutters, check roof integrity and wash windows. More than 532,000 people were injured in falls from ladders in 2007, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

To stay safe on a ladder:

* Inspect the ladder for loose screws, hinges or rungs. Clean off accumulated mud, dirt or liquids.

* Make sure all four legs rest on a firm, level surface. Avoid uneven ground or soft, muddy spots.

* Before you climb, be sure all ladder locks and safety braces are engaged.

* Never sit or stand on the top of the ladder or on its pail shelf. These areas were not designed to carry your weight.

* Choose the right ladder for the job. A step stool or utility ladder is good for working at low or medium heights, for jobs such as washing windows. Extension ladders are appropriate for outdoors to reach high places, for when you need to clean gutters or inspect the roof.

* Be aware of your balance. Be careful when moving items off a shelf while you’re standing on a ladder. If you have to stretch or lean to reach your work area, it would be safer to climb down and reposition the ladder closer to your work.

For more lawnmower or ladder safety tips, visit the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeon’s Web site at www.orthoinfo.org.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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If you’re planning to join the ranks, be sure to take the time to study up on safety precautions before operating equipment like chainsaws, chippers and edgers. They can be dangerous if you don’t take the proper safety measures.

Since January 2000, there have been dozens of claims involving people who were injured while using rented yard equipment, according to ARA Insurance Services, an insurance company owned by the American Rental Association. Here’s the breakdown:

Wood chipper accidents — 11 claims
Chain saw accidents — 12 claims
Log splitter accidents — 11 claims
Accidents involving rototillers — 6 claims
Stump grinder accidents — 6 claims

Don’t become the next statistic. Make sure you know how to operate the equipment before getting started.

A good place to turn for safety advice when it comes to using these machines is the very place you get the equipment — your local equipment rental store. When you arrive, tell the person behind the counter what you want to accomplish and they will help you find the equipment you need to get the job done. Rental store employees are also regularly trained on using the equipment and can provide you with plenty of tips for proper and safe use.

“Employees at equipment rental stores are an excellent source for information when it comes to figuring out how to operate equipment correctly,” said Chris Wehrman, CEO of the American Rental Association, the trade association for the rental industry. “Safety is a top priority among our member businesses, and store owners go to great lengths to ensure that employees are regularly trained on proper use of equipment and machinery.”

If, for example, you’re planning to cut down a pine tree with a trunk that’s three feet in diameter, they will help you find the proper saw and show you the right way to handle it. You’ll likely be urged to first clear away dirt, debris, small limbs and rocks from the area you’re planning to cut. Then before turning on the saw, to check controls, chain tension and all bolts and handles to ensure they are functioning properly. You’ll also be instructed to wear protective equipment when operating the saw, which includes hand, foot, leg, eye, face, hearing and head protection.

Chippers can also be dangerous when they aren’t handled in the correct way. A machine that is powerful enough to chew up tree limbs and then spit them out as little chips can easily do the same to a hand or arm, according to ARA Insurance Services.

The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration put together these seven tips to keep in mind while operating a chipper:

1. Never reach into a chipper while it is operating.
2. Do not wear loose-fitting clothing around a chipper.
3. Always follow the manufacturer’s guidelines and safety instructions.
4. Use earplugs, safety glasses, hard hats and gloves.
5. Protect yourself from contacting operating chipper components by guarding the infeed and discharge ports, and preventing the opening of the access covers or doors until the drum or disc completely stops.
6. Maintain at least two tree or log lengths between chipper operations and other workers.
7. If your chipper is jammed, make sure the engine is turned off when you try and remove the shrub or branch.

No matter what kind of equipment you’re renting, chainsaws, chippers or some other tool, be sure to ask the clerk you’re dealing with to include the instruction manual and any safety information they may have. To find the rental store nearest you, log on to www.RentalHQ.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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(ARA) –

Every year, a lot of time, money and effort is devoted to the pursuit of a beautiful and well-maintained home landscape. According to the 2006 American Time Use Survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Americans spend an average of two hours per day on lawn and garden maintenance.

While a beautiful yard won’t magically appear out of thin air, there are ways you can better utilize the time, money and energy you spend on maintenance. Keep these tips in mind when tackling the landscape for fall and winter.

* Rake and clean up leaves. If left scattered on the lawn, grass won’t come up as well in the spring. Don’t worry about removing leaves from plant beds, they actually help insulate and feed plants during the winter months.

* Clean out rain gutters and make sure water will flow away from walkways and driveways, which could ice over and become hazardous in the winter.

* Shut off water to all outdoor spigots to prevent pipes from freezing.

* Plant perennial flowers, ground covers, spring bulbs, trees and shrubs in early fall so they have time to establish strong and healthy roots. Some of the best sales on perennials are in August and September when greenhouses are trying to close out their inventories.

* Mulch your plant beds, except iris rhizomes, which are prone to rotting. A layer of organic mulch will help roots get established before the ground freezes solid. Mulch also helps to retain soil moisture and prevent future weed growth.

* Find accessories or attachments that enhance the equipment you already own. Zero turn mowers and ATVs have become versatile landscaping machines with the abundance of new attachments now available.

Take for example, the SnowSport ATV Plow manufactured by Agri-Cover, Inc., a North Dakota truck accessory company. This utility plow is made specifically for ATVs and can be used 365 days a year for not only landscaping projects, but also snow removal. With a SnowSport ATV Plow a homeowner can easily level, spread or push dirt, gravel and snow anytime of the year. You don’t have to worry about your lawn with this plow, because it is specifically designed to be turf-friendly.

However, your lawn and plant beds may not be the only items that need to be readied for winter. If you live in a rural area, the maintenance of a gravel driveway may also be on your fall to-do list before the winter winds start to blow.

Mark Jacobson, a retired teacher from Spiritwood Lake, N.D. knows he faces the daunting task of leveling his steep gravel driveway every fall to get rid of deep ruts left by rainstorms and water run off.

“I wanted something that would make the job quicker and without the back breaking work of shoveling the gravel. When I came across the SnowSport ATV plow I thought it was a perfect fit for my project. Besides, in a couple more months I can use it to plow snow out of the same driveway,” says Jacobson.

The SnowSport ATV Plow is available in five different blade lengths and has a three-point angled blade, which allows users to maneuver those hard to reach areas in the yard and driveway. The blade connects to your ATV by a 1 1/2-inch interceptor that slides into a front mount, so there’s no tricky wiring or complicated install. The blade is made of corrosion resistant anodized aluminum, making it easy for anyone in the family to lift on and off the mount. The blade also features a one-inch thick rubber cutting edge designed to improve scraping ability. For more information on the SnowSport ATV Plow or to find a dealer near you, call (888) 463-6214 or visit www.snowsportatv.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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These include fertilizing and reseeding the lawn, raking up and mulching leaves, cleaning out the vegetable garden and flower beds, pruning trees and shrubs and maybe even pulling out an old tree stump or two.

Some of those chores are easier than others, but you don’t need to call a professional landscaping company to do the job. You can do it yourself with the help of rented tools. Not only do you save money, you also get access to knowledgeable staff, who will make sure you have the right tools at your disposal. They’ll even explain how to use the tools in a proper manner to help ensure your safety.

Here are just some of the yard projects rented tools can help you accomplish on your own:

* The Lawn

One of the most important tasks you will need to get done before winter arrives is fertilizing your lawn. This could be an all-day job if you tried to do it with a small spreader purchased from your local home improvement store.

Rent a power fertilizer, however, and you’ll be done in a fraction of the time. A motorized seed spreader is also a great time saver.

* The Leaves

Most people spend an entire day raking leaves into piles, then bagging them up and carrying them off to the curb. Why not rent a leaf vacuum instead to speed things up?

Once you have all the leaves in one place, feed them through a rented mulcher, and then put them right back on the garden. The mulch provides temperature control for the soil, helps retain moisture, reduces weeds, improves soil texture and adds nutrients to your garden.

* Vegetable and Flower Gardens

You can get a lot of use out of a mulcher. When you’re done using it to break up the leaves, you can also use it to shred plants removed from your vegetable and flower gardens.

Once you’ve turned them into mulch, put them right back on the beds they came from. Come spring, they’ll provide nutrients for the plants that replace them.

* Prune Trees and Shrubs

Rented tools also come in handy when you need to prune or remove trees. Rather than buying an expensive chain saw you’ll only use once a year, you can rent a 16-, 20- or 24-inch chain saw at your local equipment rental store.

Instead of paying good money to dispose of the limbs and branches you cut down, you can also rent a portable chipper that can shred tree limbs, brush, grass, weed cuttings and other vegetation into mulch.

All you have to do is feed material into a hopper where it is shredded by blades or cutting disks. A 3-inch model is rated to accept and grind limbs up to 3 inches in diameter. For larger projects, wheel-mounted, towable models are available in sizes to accommodate 18-inch-diameter materials.

If you’re completely removing a tree from your yard, you may also want to rent a stump grinder to clean out the area where the tree once stood. Not only are tree stumps unsightly, they could also pose a danger to kids playing in the yard, and even to you when you start mowing again in the spring. Stump grinders are easy to operate and their byproduct, mulch and wood chips, can be put to use in the garden.

For more ideas about how you can use rental equipment to prepare your yard for winter, or to find the rental store nearest you, please visit www.RentalHQ.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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Preventative Treatment in the Fall Keeps Fire Ants at Bay in the Spring

(ARA) – As the summer months come to a close and autumn sneaks in, homeowners in the southern United States know one thing is for sure: Fall brings not only more comfortable weather, but also an increased fire ant threat.

A potential health risk to families and pets, fire ants can damage everything from electrical equipment to roads. During the fall months homeowners can take control of their yards by implementing fast-acting and long-lasting methods to make sure fire ants are put out of business for an entire year.

Fire ants present a year-round risk, which means homeowners must be prepared to deal with them 365 days a year. Fall activities, such as yard work, raking leaves, and clearing gardens put people in harm’s way; fire ants can hide under fallen leaves and branches, mulch piles and more. Cooler weather draws fire ants from their underground havens, putting humans in much closer proximity to them than any time during the year.

Fall is a perfect time to apply treatment to fire ants because the weather is much easier to predict than in the spring or summer, making it less of a guessing game as to when to begin treatment. With lower temperatures, fire ants are more prone to be out foraging, giving a better opportunity to treat the entire colony. By October, the fall mating flight of the reproductive male and female has already occurred, making fire ants less apt to migrate. With scenarios like this, treatment is a must.

“Fall is a great time to treat because the ants are usually coming out of summer stress,” says Charles Barr, fire ant specialist and principal of Barr Research and Consulting in Bryan, Texas. “The colonies have died back some and they’re just plain hungry.”

With fire ants out and about looking for food, homeowners have ample opportunities to strike. One way to target the pests is to use a combination of an individual mound treatment, which kills visible colonies, with a broadcast treatment that takes care of mounds and ants that can’t be seen. The makers of Over ‘n Out Fire Ant Killer have created the Over ‘n Out Two-Step Method, a sure-fire way to control the little buggers. By implementing the Over ‘n Out Two-Step Method, homeowners are guaranteed the fastest-acting, longest-lasting control.

“Using baits alone won’t work,” says Barr. “Using a one-two punch, such as the Over ‘n Out Two-Step Method, gets results you are looking for.”

The first step to the Over ‘n Out Two-Step Method is to use Over ‘n Out Mound Treatment on fire ant mounds that are visible. A decrease in fire ant activity can be seen in as few as three days. The goal of the individual mound treatment is to kill the queen, making it nearly impossible for the colony to reproduce.

After applying step one, wait a few days and follow up with Over ‘n Out Broadcast Granules. The broadcast treatment can be distributed by a spreader across the whole yard to target mounds that can’t be seen. Once the Over ‘n Out Two-Step Method has been administered, control of fire ants lasts all year long, with results visible in as few as three weeks.

For homeowners looking to go the extra mile and stamp out fire ants in an entire neighborhood, all that is required is collaboration between neighbors so that there is a continued and concurrent effort to treat for fire ants.

“There are a number of benefits to neighborhood programs,” says Tim Davis, fire ant suppression specialist with Clemson (S.C.) University. “The larger the treated area, the longer the dormant period lasts. A coordinated effort between neighbors makes the treated areas bigger, making it harder for fire ants to re-colonize.”

For more information, please visit www.fireantfree.com or the FireRANT! blog at http://blog.thefirerant.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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2. Avoiding the ‘Rakes and Pains’ of Autumn Yard Work
3. A Beautiful Landscape Starts in the Fall

Homeowners in diverse regions of the country, gardening zones and styled spaces are all motivated to begin fall gardening chores for various reasons. Whatever the intention, and whichever the landscape style or region, the following tips can enliven any outdoor space as the chill of autumn sets in.

1. Trade Summer-shabby Turf for Fall Plants

Harsh summer conditions can do appalling things to a lawn, leaving it dry, brown and, for all practical purposes, dead. It is becoming an annual trend to give worn-out, sun-dried turf a new look for fall by replacing or substituting it with creeping perennial plants. This updated, longer-lasting alternative to traditional lawns can be easily created by adding an array of hardy plant varieties like Stepables (www.stepables.com), the line of over 140 creeping perennial plants that withstand, and even thrive from, foot traffic.

“Creeping perennials have thousands of tiny, compact root nodes that firmly grasp the soil,” says Fran Hopkins, founder and CEO of Under A Foot Plant Company and creator of Stepables. “When you and your kids step on them with the soles of your feet, they will vigorously take root; the more they are walked on, the faster they will creep across the landscape.” Using low-growing plants like Stepables instead of grass is also a means of being green-friendly, since they need no mowing and less watering, fertilizer, and chemicals than common, resource-eating lawns.

2. Prune for Autumn Rejuvenation

Fall is the best time to prune woody plants, after summer growth has completed developing for the season. Plants that need to be thinned or de-limbed should be pruned for the health of the plant, human safety reasons and, finally, for landscape aesthetics. Most homeowners, even master gardeners with true green thumbs, dread the possibility of dismembering a living thing in their yards. Doing detrimental damage to a tree or shrub while pruning might excite panic; but, fear not. Like a bad hair cut, most badly pruned trees and shrubs do grow back.

For pruning like the pros, proper tools are essential. Gardener’s Edge by A.M. Leonard (www.gardenersedge.com) has created a beginner’s pruning kit that includes small specialty shears, hand pruners and a tri-edge folding saw. Respectively, the size of branches to be pruned and the amount of pruning to be accomplished will determine which tool should be used. Essential tools and techniques for pruning include:

* A sturdy, comfortable pair of pruning gloves.
* Clean, sharp equipment.
* Specialty and hand shears should be used for branches up to a quarter-inch in diameter.
* Loppers are used for branches up to an inch in diameter.
* A pruning saw should be used on limbs larger than an inch in diameter.

Once the necessary pruning is complete, a small secondary project for fall should be to clean all gardening tools. Sharpen pruners, mower blades and shears to be ready when spring arrives. Clean hand tools and garden shovels by removing dirt with a wire brush and rust with steel wool or light sandpaper. Spray any metal hand-tool parts with lubricant oil, which will help to fight rust build-up over winter. Last, any worn or ragged edges on tools should be sharpened with a file and stored in a dry place.

3. Add Garden Markers for Stand-out Fall Foliage

The forget-me-nots of the garden, foliage plants provide color, shape, texture and interest to the garden even when blooms are absent. Creative tags, markers and garden labels for fall perennial foliage compliment the traditional practice of spotting blooms on flowering perennials and shrubs during spring and summer. For an artistic way to identify and take pleasure in out-of-bloom foliage plants during fall and winter, add a garden marker or plant ID tag with botanical and common names at the base of each.

Every plant from the Garden Splendor line (www.gardensplendor.com) comes with its own Remember Me garden marker. “These anodized aluminum labels identify and mark the location of foliage plants for years to come,” says David Wilson, marketing director for Garden Splendor. “Whether master gardener or novice, they allow gardeners and visitors the chance to identify foliage plants for their texture and color, and appreciate the ability to point them out by name.” Two such plants with bright fall foliage are Hakonechloa ‘All Gold’ and Coreopsis ‘Pinwheel’. To supplement fall foliage, add a fall-blooming vine such as Clematis ‘Daniel Deronda’.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Related posts:

1. A Beautiful Landscape Starts in the Fall
2. Composting Fall Leaves Turns Garden Trash into Treasure
3. Tips for planting and protecting your fall landscape