Tips from the Pros
Fall Is the Time to Build a Beautiful Lawn
It's been a tough summer for lawn care, and if yours is one of those still looking good, congratulations from all of us at Northampton Nursery! As we head into September and some cooler weather, now is the time to take steps to ensure your lawn will remain looking good all fall - and next spring as well.  September is one of the best months of the year for seeding or sodding new lawns. It's also a good time to over-seed old lawns with fresh seed to help fill in the bare spots and crowd out weeds and mosses. Often the first step for fall lawn care is to de-thatch the surface. That means using an iron rake or de-thatching tools to clean out the clippings and mulch that can build up at the base of the grass. A second important step for many lawns - especially those that get a lot of traffic - is to aerate the lawn. This involves poking holes in the surface or removing small plugs of soil to let more moisture and nutrients reach the roots. You can have success doing this by hand or with rented equipment, but you'll usually get better results by hiring a professional who has more sophisticated equipment. Before aerating, soak the lawn thoroughly a day or two in advance, or schedule after a rain. When it comes to the seeding, you can fertilize and seed all in the same day (and apply lime as well, if you need to). Or you can seed and fertilize one day and lime later on.

Plant of the Month
Nandina Provides
'Heavenly' Color in All Seasons
If you're looking for a shrub that will be a four-season star, you'll do well to consider Nandina. Nandina is commonly called "Heavenly Bamboo," but it's not a bamboo at all. It's a member of the barberry family whose leaves just look like bamboo. And what leaves they are! In spring they are bright pink to red, in summer they turn a rich green and in the fall they take on the reds, oranges, bronzes and purples of autumn. In summer, Nandina presents clusters of conical white flowers, and these mature into bright red berries that can last all winter (or until your backyard birds find them). Nandina can be used in any part of the landscape, though its foliage is best in full or partial sun. It can be planted alone or in small groupings for spot color or combined with other evergreens for a more dramatic effect. Fun Fact: Japanese gardeners plant Nandina near their front or back doors, because in Japan it is considered the "friendship plant."

Landscaping Trend
Making the Most of Your Outdoor Space
More and more people are installing patios, terraces and walkways to extend the living space of their homes out into their yards. These often are beautiful additions, but installation is not the end of the story. Not if you want to protect the investment you've made in hardscaping. Today's smart homeowners are cleaning and sealing their patios and other hardscape surfaces six months to a year after installation and revisiting them every two to three years to repeat the process. Cleaning and sealing protects pavers from the elements and preserves their natural beauty. It also helps to control weeds and ants that find the nooks between pavers just right for making new homes. As with any home improvement, test both cleaning and sealing solutions on a small, inconspicuous spot of your patio before applying to a wide area. For both cleaning and sealing, we like the products from the Techniseal company, and you'll like the solid consumer information offered on its website for both general and specific needs. So as summer heads into fall, enjoy the outdoor living spaces you have created. You'll enjoy them even more if you take a few smart steps to protect them.