Gardening in July, August, and September presents challenges, and getting water to plants is one of the main chores of the summer garden here in the Mid-Atlantic. Learn to observe which plants require extra water, and which will survive without additional irrigation. Watering takes patience, careful observation, and involvement. What needs water during a dry spell?

Just as you choose art and ornaments for the interior of your home, objects and structures can make a garden feel inviting and personal. Lawn and garden ornaments make that defining statement that sets your landscape apart.

Now that fall is here, with cooler temperatures that make gardening more pleasurable, it’s time to get outside and tend to those chores you’ve been putting off. Here are a few tips to get you started on your fall gardening.

Gardeners and do-it-yourselfers, along with the products they use, can be some of the biggest polluters of our environment. With the health of the Chesapeake Bay in danger, it’s time to be a ‘green-conscious’ gardener. Here are some eco-friendly ways to leave a smaller environmental footprint.

Summer is finally over. With the arrival of cooler weather it’s time to take stock of your landscape. The Mid-Atlantic region suffered through a major drought this year and chances are your lawn did too. Now is the time to take a stroll through your yard and decide what needs to be replaced or removed. If your lawn needs renovation, September is the time to aerate and overseed. Remember to add composted organic material (like Leaf-Gro) before planting grass seed to reduce the need for chemical fertilizers. Newly planted grass seed will need to be watered every day until the seed germinates and fills in.

Are you looking for ways to improve your landscape this spring? One of the new trends in landscape design is replacing a mixed perennial border with an easy-care shrub garden. In recent years there have been many improved varieties of shrubs to help us plant-obsessed gardeners. Shrubs now offer a longer flowering season, colorful foliage, longer lasting flowers, colorful fruit and vivid autumn colors to provide season long color that's never been seen in shrubs before. Here are a few of my favorite new shrubs:

Now that the weather is starting to warm up it’s time to get your lawn ready for spring and summer. First clean up any fallen leaves and branches and rake any debris that has collected over the winter. You may need to dethatch and aerate your lawn. Thatch is a tightly intermingled organic layer of dead and living shoots, stems, and roots that accumulate just above the soil surface. Thatch accumulation is due to either over-fertilization, over-watering, and/or soil compaction

Landscaping adds value to your home and your neighborhood. The right landscaping can increase the value of your home by 15 percent, allowing owners to recoup 100 to 200 percent of the cost of the planting. On average, a well-designed landscape provides enough energy savings to return your initial investment in less than 8 years. September and October are the best months to plant here in the Mid-Atlantic region. Soil temperatures are warm to promote healthy root development and rainfall is usually plentiful, which minimizes transplant stress.

Spring is finally here and our thoughts turn to… planting! Nurseries and garden centers are full of beautiful plants so you load up your vehicle and bring them home. Now what? The most common reason for plant failure is incorrect planting techniques. A properly planted tree or shrub will be more tolerant of adverse conditions and require much less maintenance than one planted incorrectly.

Spring is just around the corner. The view out your window may be gray and brown now but just beneath the surface of your garden your plants are waking up. Now is the time to prepare for the spring gardening season. There are many chores that need to be done now so you can enjoy your garden when the warm weather arrives.