tall grass

If you haven't cut your grass yet you are wrong. If you have a neighbor that needs theirs cut, please remind them.

meeting and dues

Don't forget we have a Home Owner Association meeting 6 December at 19:30 and you should receive another letter about 2011 dues (payable through January) for $630.

bike hoists

Are you running out of space in your garage? These hoists are great for hanging bicycles from the ceiling to free up some floor and/or wall space.

no more raking

Philip Dwyer says, "No" to raking. See his fall tip for dealing with leaves on your yard.

it's fall - so what

This is the time to divide and transplant hostas, daylilies and other perennials.

Plant winter-hardy bulbs before the ground freezes in late November. This is also the time to fertilize bulbs.

After the first hard frost, cut back perennials and promptly remove leaves, weeds and other landscape debris from planting areas to avoid giving plant disease a place to start.

Lightly rake over mulch in landscape beds to allow water to better penetrate, and top dress your perennial beds with mulched leaves.

It's important that trees and shrubs get adequate moisture in fall to get a good start next spring. Monitor soil moisture levels through December, and keep watering trees and shrubs as needed.

lawn vacation tips

If You'll Be Gone for 1 Week or Less...

When you're going away for a week in the summer, your lawn won't even miss you. Lawns grow more slowly in the heat of summer, so simple preparations will do just fine. Just mow your lawn at the regular height the day before you go. If you water your lawn, be sure to water it deeply the day before you leave.



If You'll Be Away for 2 Weeks or More ...

Before you go, set your mower down a notch and mow it the day before you leave. When you get back, raise your mower 2 notches before you cut your lawn. Try not to take off more than on third of the grass height at a time. Also, water your lawn deeply the day before you leave if watering is not restricted. Your lawn may go dormant in hot, dry weather while you're away. Not to worry. Going dormant is a healthy coping mechanism for grass. You can water it deeply when you get back. If you'll be gone for more than 2 weeks, you may want to hire the neighborhood kid or a mowing service to cut your grass while you're away.

grub time

It's that time of year again. Get that Scott's Turf Builder with SummerGuard out and then a week later some GrubEx.