|
Courtesy of Northampton Nursery & Northampton Building Solutions
November 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Landscaping |
 Tips from the Pros
Caring for Garden Tools Now Will Pay Off Next Spring Homeowners who love to landscape give their garden tools a workout from spring to late fall. But before you put them away for the winter, take a few minutes to clean and prepare them for the next growing season. A little care now will pay dividends next spring when you're raring to get outside on the first warm day. Start by scraping off dried-on dirt or plant debris from all tools and cleaning out the underside of lawn mowers. You can use a putty knife and steel brush for this, and it will prevent rust and other damage from the acids and moisture contained in grass. Use steel wool to remove any rust that has built up and then rub surfaces down with motor oil or a lubricant like WD-40. Empty all chemical sprayers and dispose of contents as directed on the package. Remove gas from lawnmowers and weed-whackers (a turkey baster works well for this!). If possible, run engines until they are out of gas to clear the lines. Sharpen tools with a whetstone or file, following the existing angles of the blades and then rubbing down with oil. Then relax! Plant of the Month
 Burning Bush If you're looking to add fall color to your yard, you might want to get fired up about Burning Bush. This shrub - known officially as Euonymus alata - provides spectacular beauty all autumn, with bright scarlet foliage and small, red-orange fruit. This easy-to-grow shrub can be used in mass plantings for dramatic effect or individually to provide landscape accent points. Mature plants can reach 15 feet in height, though there are smaller, compact varieties for tighter yards. They grow almost as wide as they are tall, providing a well balanced presence in a yard. Burning Bush is prolific in reproducing and can become invasive to adjacent natural areas, so keep that in mind as you choose your planting sites. Burning Bush got its popular name from its blazing fall color, but it also reminds some gardeners of the story of Moses and the Burning Bush in the Bible. Landscaping Trend
Going Green with Permeable Pavers
It's no secret more and more homeowners want to live greener lifestyles. Not as well known is that more and more of them are turning to permeable pavers to do it. Permeable pavers - also called eco-pavers - are a growing trend in hardscaping. They allow water to be absorbed directly into the ground below and are being used to replace solid surfaces on driveways, patios and walkways. Because they are "self draining," permeable pavers reduce the amount of runoff from surface areas and filter the water they absorb in under-layers of crushed rock, gravel or permeable soil. Runoff is a top concern for state and local environmental officials, because chemicals and pollution that collect on hard surfaces can get into storm systems and groundwater when too much water runs off. Permeable pavers look much like traditional pavers, but they have gaps between pavers, holes in the paving material or symmetrical spaces that can be planted with grass to allow the water to sink in. At the same time, they are strong enough to support heavy vehicles on driveways and as visually appealing as traditional pavers. Permeable pavers give green-minded homeowners a way to help the environment and still have attractive and strong surfaces as living space. It's Time To ...Take Care of Roses - and Pot Some Tulips!November is the month that drains the color out of the landscape. But it's also the month to take steps to bring color back next spring. And there are some things you can do to brighten things up right now. - Mound five to six inches of soil around the bases of your hardy roses to help them make it through the winter. Use soil from another part of the garden, rather than risking damage to the roots by digging around the base of the plant.
- Tulip bulbs can still be planted outdoors in the first half of the month, and while you're at it pot and force some bulbs for inside color this winter.
- Start paper whites in late November for Christmas flowering - they make great, personal gifts.
- Cut chrysanthemum stems to 2-3 inches from the soil once they have begun to die back to ensure healthy growth next year.
- You can continue to transplant your perennials this month and throughout the winter, as long as they remain dormant.
- This month also is a good time to transplant trees and shrubs, because most ornamentals have entered dormancy and can be safely dug and replanted.
|
|
|
|
Masterpiece Project
|
A Beautiful New Patio - and a Solution to Water Woes Kerry and Shawn had a patio problem. The poured cement surface was old and cracked and the rock-and-railroad-tie wall that surrounded it had seen better days. But the biggest problem wasn't cosmetic - it was environmental. The recessed patio area filled up with water when it rained, and the water leaked into the house. Kerry and Shawn came to us to solve both problems, but before we could even think about aesthetics, we had to resolve the drainage issue. We started by removing all the existing structure and materials, which acted as a water trap in wet weather. Then we mapped out a design that would give them more patio space and provide drainage that would lead water away from the back of the house and around to the front, where it would do no damage. To further control moisture, we landscaped with shrubs that do well with water and help keep yards dry. When Kerry first saw her completed new patio, she only had one word: "Wow!" She and Shawn loved how the new retaining wall and stairs provide extra seating, how the multi-colored gray pavers animate the floor space, how the new border of field stones not only aids drainage but provides a visual accent for the yard. With their new patio, Kerry and Shawn enjoyed outside family meals all through the summer. They like coming home from work and relaxing in their fresh surroundings. Best of all, they like to entertain family and friends and show off the exciting new living space their handsome patio provides. Would you like a project like this for your home? Ask the team at Northampton Nursery & Northampton Building Solutions how we can help turn your dreams into reality.
|
| Home Improvement | Tip of the Month
Winterize Your Home for Comfort and Economy
In November, we get our first real taste of winter. And now is the time to take the final steps to make your home warm and comfortable against cold weather. To start, look for ways to keep the warmth inside. That means inspecting outside walls for cracks, using weather stripping around doors, replacing cracked glass in windows and sealing gaps in siding or foundations with caulking. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, drafts can waste 5 to 30 percent of the energy you use in winter months, and that adds dollars to your heating bills. Next, have your furnace checked out and serviced, and replace air filters so the furnace will operate at top efficiency. If you have a fireplace, call a chimney sweep to remove soot and creosote and inspect the damper for proper opening and closing. If you don't have a glass fireplace door, consider installing one, because that WHOOSH you hear is your energy budget going up the chimney along with the heat from your furnace. If you would like help seeing how energy efficient your home is, PECO Energy offers a free do-it-yourself energy audit on its website and provides "low-cost recommendations" on energy use.
News You Can Use
Homeowner Help from the State DEPMost people know that the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is the state agency that enforces regulations on clean water, air and land use. But fewer people know that the DEP also offers practical advice for homeowners on such things as how to handle household hazardous wastes, how to garden safely to reduce environmental impact and how to manage painting projects in a "green" and safe way. These helpful household tips can now be found and downloaded at the DEP website along with lists of collection sites across the state and events at which homeowners can drop off hazardous materials. Household hazardous wastes include such materials as old paints and paint related products, pesticides, pool chemicals, drain cleaners, degreasers, car care products, old electronics equipment and old propane cylinders or tanks. "Each person in Pennsylvania produces an average of four pounds of household hazardous waste each year or about 25,000 tons per year statewide," the DEP says. "Such consumer waste products, if carelessly managed, can (and frequently do) create environmental and public health hazards." |
| Living Green & Well |
Will In-Kitchen Gardening Be a 'Must-Have' in the Future?It's well known many people like to garden. It's also well known people like beautiful kitchens. But how about gardening IN their beautiful kitchens? Apparently, quite a few people would like to do that too, according to research conducted by Ikea this summer in Ireland and the United Kingdom. An Ikea survey asked homeowners what they would consider "must have" features in their dream kitchen 30 years from now. Like homeowners today, they want the kitchen to be the hub of the family and highly energy efficient. But they surprised researchers by saying they also want their future kitchen to be a green space in which the garden and kitchen merge, allowing food to be grown in both areas, according to England's Guardian newspaper. Those responding voiced support for cutting-edge ideas like refrigerators that would grow food as well as store it, hydroponic systems for growing herbs in high-nutrient water, and vertical, niched wall gardens such as those used in many places in California. "The kitchen will come to embody a move toward sustainable living and be a measure of how people adapt to changes in society," the survey's authors wrote.
|
Check Out Our Video Series
|
On our website we're now featuring our new Northampton Nursery Video
Series, in which we show how we work and share our ideas for creating
home masterpieces. Click on this link to view. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
