Yesterday was Groundhog day, and Phil said six more weeks of Winter. Six more weeks is plenty of time to prepare your garden for Spring. In order to help you get started, I have compiled a list of beneficial garden chores.

get out your tools!

Save up for a warm (60's hopefully) sunny day to begin to tend to your garden, you have six more weeks after all (thanks Phil). On a day with less favorable conditions, scrounge around in your garden supplies and tools to make sure you are prepared. You can fix or replace tools, locate your gloves, and update your garden journal.

• Once you make it outside, consider the following:
• Remove any dead annuals that made it through the Winter, and pick out what you intend to plant next
• If you did not prune your perennials in the fall, it is generally safe to prune them once you start to see new growth. Of course, there are exceptions. Contact Father Nature to learn more.
• Be mindful of your herbaceous perennials. They generally die back during the winter and should emerge in the Spring
• Prune your woody shrubs to encourage new growth
• Other plants just may need a little sprucing up. Trim away tattered and warn foliage for a fresh Spring look.
• Ornamental grasses can be cut back to a few inches above the ground with no sign of new growth. New growth will occur when the plant is ready. (There are some exceptions)

For more specific information about plant requirements or pruning technique, send us an email and we would be happy to help you! Remember,

"Gardening is a labor of love. Exercise is just plain labor." Horticulturalist Steve Upson

Happy Gardening!

Time for a few seasonal tips from our designers!

Holiday Lighting

"The holiday season has come and gone with the speed of Santa's sleigh. Before we knew it, the sounds of carols and familiar smell of Christmas trees that permeated the air have left our homes. With the exit of the holiday season brings that familiar chore of taking down the Christmas lights. When you installed them you where filled with anticipation and probably didn't mind the cold weather or rain. Now is a different story, the rain and cold are still here and your fingers are going to get cold and numb along with the rest of you.To save yourself the time, hassle, and pain of hanging, removing, and storing your lights think of Father Nature Tacoma as the holidays approach in 2010. We are now offering this service to existing clients and would be happy to give you an estimate for seasonal lighting on your home and landscape. We are going to offer the new environmentally-friendly energy efficient LED lights and the standard incandescent lights. Both will be high quality lights that last for multiple seasons. Once again think of Father Nature Tacoma for your holiday lighting needs." - Chris Scheer, Father Nature of Tacoma

Winter Clean-up

With Spring around the corner, it is a great time to prepare early for the growing season. An important part of maintaining the health and beauty of your gardens is winter clean-up. Certain fungi and plant pathogens can overwinter in leaf litter, old pine straw, and mulch. There are a few things that can be done to help keep these nuisances from returning: Prune off dead or rotten limbs from trees and shrubs, cut back any dormant perennial foliage, and remove old leaves and pin straw/mulch from bed areas. Other applications, like copper sulfate, can also be used to help protect plant tissue. Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Happy gardening! - Andrew Robinson, Father Nature of Mobile Bay

Ponds

Have a pond? Need some help? In all parts of the states, we have experienced some extremely cold temperatures this year. Keeping the water flowing in ponds and streams definitely helps keep ice from forming. Small pond heaters is an option to stop ice formation. My favorite solution for keeping ice at bay is aerators. Aerators not only keep the water moving, preventing ice build up, but also provide oxygen necessary for healthy fish and aids in the decomposition of organics at the bottom of your pond. If the duration of temperatures under freezing last for extended periods of time, and water begins the leave the cavity of your pond or stream because of ice build up, remove your pump and drain your filter to prevent them from freezing and needing replacement in the Spring. Stay posted for other helpful pond tips in the Spring newsletter! - Andrew McCurry, Father Nature of Birmingham

Design Importance

In general, design shows intent and gives purpose. Designed landscapes have the ability to accomplish numerous objectives. Outside of adding value to your property, designed landscapes have the ability to save you money in the long run. Whether it is a single installation or a multi-phased installation, we can help you save by making it a seamless transition from project to project. This helps you avoid addressing your landscape issues more than necessary. A design also helps to create a sense of place and extend livable areas to the outdoors. For more information, check out my latest post, titled "Remodeling your Landscape." - Marguerite Logan, Father Nature of Birmingham

We recently mailed out a seasonal newsletter! Here are a few words of advice from several Father Nature representatives.

Fall Transplanting

Andrew McCurry, Birmingham AL

"If you have been thinking of moving anything in your garden, now is the time! With temperatures dropping and days getting shorter, the metabolism of your favorite plants will begin to slow, transporting carbohydrates to the root zone where nutrients are stored during the winter. Reduced metabolism means reduced stress on the plant. Keep a heavy layer of mulch around your plants to insulate, buffer temperature extremes and reduce winter desiccation by consuming moisture in the soil. Don't forget to fertilize your under nourished plants once the leaves begin to fall."

Landscape Lighting

Andrew Robinson, Mobile Bay AL

"With the days getting shorter, it is a great time to think about landscape lighting. Outdoor lighting can create an artistic element in your garden, and allows you to enjoy your outdoor spaces for a longer period of time. Low voltage lighting fixtures do not use as much energy as typical incandescent outdoor fixtures. A dusk till dawn sensor and lighting timer can be used to make sure the system will only come on when needed, optimizing energy usage, and creating a greener solution for lighting up your home."

Proper Drainage

Chris Scheer, Tacoma WA

"As you may know, water poses the greatest threat to your most expensive investment, your home. With this in mind draining water away from your home through the use of downspouts, entire house drains, French drains, and driveway drains is of highest priority. Through effectively managing water runoff you can greatly improve the ability of your home to shed water away from it, thus keeping it safe for years to come."

Home Improvement

Daniel McCurry, Birmingham AL

"Improve the value of your home through proper landscaping. To help sell a home or increase the value of your home, there are a few small ticket items that you can administer in your landscape. Top priority is cleanliness. Make sure you have clean bed lines. Your planting beds should be cleaned out of noxious weeds and debris, and your plants should be trimmed properly. Second, the front door is the central focus. Your plants should be arranged to encourage the eye to the front door. Lastly, attempt to separate property lines with groupings of plants to help convey the size and boundaries of your property."

Email us or post a comment to find out more information about any of the above topics. Also, check out the rest of our website to see our other areas of knowledge and expertise.

Autumn is upon us. It is a great time to be outside, plant bulbs in the garden, and rake the leaves. If the Fall season excites you, then let it show in your landscape! There are countless ways to decorate your containers, window boxes, and front porch to celebrate the cooler weather.

Try these plants in your containers and window boxes for a beautiful fall effect:

New England Aster, Black mondo & Dwarf mondo, Sedum ('autumn joy' is a beautiful choice) Heuchera, Creeping Wire Vine, Sedge ('red rooster' has great coloring for the fall), Phlox, and many more! Email us if you would like any other plant suggestions.

Don't forget about container and porch accessories! Try some of the following:

Place pumpkins on your front steps, porch, and even in your containers. I went to a local nursery and was overwhelmed with all the different pumpkin varieties. There are so many to choose from: regular pumpkins of all sizes, white  pumpkins of all sizes, pumpkins with bumps, 'tiger striped' pumpkins for the serious Auburn fans, and gray colored pumpkins, only to name a few! All of which would be a great addition to your landscape decor.

Try using pine cones, reindeer moss (if you can find it!), Indian corn, and bittersweet. A general warning for bittersweet is that the berries are poisonous, and 'American bittersweet' is the only one that is not an exotic invasive. Nevertheless, the beautiful orange and red coloring is hard to resist!

Once you finish with the outdoors, bring your landscape inside! Use colorful leaves, twigs and branches, dried flower heads, and dried grasses in combination with the above accessories.

Use these ideas and let us know how it goes! Don't forget to turn on your landscape lighting to show off your creative handy work.

Happy decorating.