The Lawn and Gardening Idea File offers information about new and proven lawn and gardening products. Click article titles to view each article:
Winter Tree Care Tips For Homeowners
Winter brings frigid temperatures, icy winds, and plenty of snow. Just as people battle Mother Nature at this time of the year, so do trees, with one major exception: trees can't avoid exposure to the elements.
Fight The Bite! Avoid Mosquito Bites to Avoid Infection
When dealing with West Nile virus, prevention is your best bet. Fighting mosquito bites reduces your risk of getting this disease, along with others that mosquitoes can carry.
Top 10 Plants For Dazzling Container Gardens
Looking for a quick way to spruce up your home’s curb appeal or create the outdoor living room in the backyard that you’ve always dreamt about?
The Environmentally Proper Way To Fertilize Your Lawn
Fertilizer acts as vitamins for your lawn. Using too much is harmful. Using too little—when needed—can result in poor health and susceptibility to diseases.
Drought? ... Let Your Grass Go Dormant
It seems that every year we experience a period of drought or heat that adversely affects the grass in our yards. Our regionally adapted grasses are prepared for this onslaught.
Get Your Kicks
During the past 25 years or so, the little Mantis Tiller/Cultivator has become the world's most popular mini-tiller with more than a million sold.
That's A Huge Cabbage!
When Eva Dickenson's 3rd grade class decided to participate in a national cabbage growing contest, Eva's father knew exactly how he could help.
Plant Of The Month
If you are looking for colorful flowers for a container all summer long, try Hibiscus Stolen Kiss.
Summertime Is Mosquito Time
Millions of biting, disease-carrying mosquitoes are buzzing around backyards, parks and neighborhoods this summer. You can reduce your chances of getting bitten by mosquito pests
Are Lawns a Waste Of Time and Money
Turfgrass is more than just an eye-appealing, home lawn feature. It's essential to parks and playgrounds, golf courses and sports fields and to improve commercial property.
Enhance Your Backyard Enjoyment: Just Add Water
Installing a water feature to your backyard is a great way to create instant aesthetic value to any setting. Options abound for the do-it-yourself (DIY) homeowner.
First Aid Procedures For Trees
The trail of damages after a major storm truly reveals the power of Mother Nature, and the remains can be devastating, especially for trees.
Tips To Nurture Nature In Your Backyard
Is something bugging you? More importantly, with summer approaching, is something bugging your trees? If you don't know, it's time to find out—take a look around your yard ...
Add Value To Your Home With A Backyard Water Feature
As the housing market slump continues, homeowners are looking for ways to make their homes stand out and increase resale value without spending their life savings.
Imagine A World Without Natural Grass
Imagine a world barren of natural grass; a world where today's front lawns and backyards are no more.
Lawns, Water And The Environment
People who want to maintain a beautiful and environmentally friendly landscape and conserve water can now turn to the book, "Water Right: Conserving Our Water, Preserving Our Environment."
Just Say "Yes" to Play Sets
If you’re a parent, your kids may be asking for a play set for the backyard. Kids are always asking – or begging – for things that they see, on television or elsewhere, and you have to decide whether or not they’re good for them.
Consumers’ Most "FAQ" About Lawn Care Answered by Turfgrass Research Specialists
From growing grass in the shade, to eliminating broadleaf weeds, there is no "one-size-fits-all" solution to maintaining a beautiful lawn that continues to add value to your home.
Remodeling With Trees Can Have An Environmental Impact
When you are considering remodeling, don't just focus on the inside. Remodel your landscape as well. Besides increasing your property value, a landscape that includes trees will also increase the quality of the environment in which you live.
Making The Best Tree Selection For Planting
Selection of the right tree for your property is one of the most important investment decisions that a home owner makes when landscaping a new home or replacing a tree lost to damage or disease.
Plant of The Month: Musa ‘Dwarf Lady Finger’
If you’ve ever wanted to grow bananas—real, edible bananas—in a pot on your patio or balcony, Musa ‘Dwarf Lady Finger’ is for you. This new banana plant only needs to get five feet tall, which is about as good as it gets
"Green" Lawnmower is Hot
Mantis, the company that makes the world’s most popular mini-tiller, has another hit on its hands. The new Mantis Cordless Reel Mower, introduced earlier this year, is selling like proverbial hotcakes. The Mantis Reel Mower is powered by a 24-volt
Cool Weather Slowed Spring Gardening Season
The "on again, off again" spring season, which featured late season snowstorms in the Northeast and Midwest and cool weather throughout much of the country, resulted in a slow start to the 2007 gardening season.
You Don't Need Chemical Pesticides To Kill Mosquitoes
Summer is primetime for outdoor activities, and it’s also the time that millions of American homeowners roll out the pesticides and spray enough chemicals to kill every insect that ventures into their yards.
Beauty of Ornamental Iron Fencing in Maintenance-Free Aluminum
Jerith Manufacturing Company in Philadelphia, PA has created an ornamental fence that is fabricated from aluminum, yet has the traditional look of wrought iron.
Keep Houseplants Happy And Free Of Pests
When whiteflies, aphids, spider mites, mealy bugs, scale or even hard-to-kill fungus gnats attack, keep your favorite houseplants healthy and happy with an environmentally responsible horticultural spray oil.
Logee's Miracle Fruit Featured on The Martha Stewart Show
The miracle is in the berry; once you've eaten it, anything sour eaten afterwards tastes incredibly sweet--including sour lemons and limes.
Perrenial Plant Focus: Oenothera fremontii 'Shimmer' (Freemont's Evening Primrose)
This new drought-tolerant evening primrose cultivar has extremely narrow foliage and prolific 3-inch-wide lemon-yellow flowers.
Mantis Extended Reach Pruner
Early spring is a great time to prune dead branches off trees and shrubs. It's also a great time to thin out overgrown trees, because it is much easier to see the structure of a tree's branches
All Hail 'King Harry'
A new potato variety called ‘King Harry,’ developed by Cornell University and field tested by Wood Prairie Farm, is resistant to the pests that bother Irish potatoes.
New Garden Products Win 2007 MGA Green Thumb Awards
A total of 10 new gardening products have won 2007 MGA Green Thumb Awards presented by the Mailorder Gardening Association.
Low Voltage Lighting Products Brighten Yards And Gardens
Low voltage lighting is one of the easiest, most economical ways to make your home, yard, garden or deck more attractive. Whether you enjoy sitting on your deck during a beautiful summer evening or highlighting your newly landscaped yard for guests, low voltage outdoor lighting adds a new dimension to any location.
Adopt A School Garden Program
The National Gardening Association (NGA) is pleased to announce that Ames True Temper is making a generous donation to National Gardening Association's Adopt a School Garden Program as its way of honoring National Garden Month® 2007.
Tree Care Tips: Common Myths And Misconceptions
Most homeowners treasure the trees on their property, but very few seem to know how to care for their trees properly. In fact, much of what you’ve heard about tree care is probably incorrect.
Protect Your Investment, Hire An Arborist
An arborist is a professional who is trained in the art and science of planting, caring for, and maintaining trees. Why hire an arborist? Proper tree care is an investment which can lead to substantial returns. Well cared for trees are not only attractive but will also add value to your property, while poorly maintained trees end up being a liability.
Wood Arbors And Gateways Stage A Strong Revival
From the earliest days of settlement in New England, European immigrants brought with them to America their beloved climbing roses, honeysuckle and berry vines and also their trellis and arbors.
Underground Lawn Sprinklers Almost A Cinch To Install
With some careful planning and a weekend of time, underground lawn sprinklers can become any homeowner's asset.
Arbor And Trellis Designs: Plan Before You Buy
Arbors and trellises make a timeless, attractive contribution to almost any garden, but it pays to plan ahead when purchasing an arbor or a trellis to make your gardening life a little easier and more enjoyable in the years to come.
Organic Weed Prevention Products
It can take hours of backbreaking labor to clear your lawn or garden of weeds. Of course, you could use traditional chemical herbicides but then you risk causing chemical burns to your expensive plants, or worse, exposing your family and pets to toxic chemicals.
Drought Tolerant Lawn Grasses
Turfgrass research scientists have proven it is not only possible but environmentally responsible to create a healthy, drought tolerant lawn that can survive dry seasons without wasting water!
Prevent Or Eliminate Crabgrass In Your Lawn
Crabgrass is such a persistent problem that many homeowners think this weed is impossible to prevent or eliminate in their lawns. In fact, crabgrass is actually a warm season annual, which means that every crabgrass plant in your lawn dies as cold weather sets in each year.
Garden Design Ideas
When it comes to designing an attractive flower garden, creativity should rule the day. All too often, the beauty of nature’s floral gift is lost to man’s propensity for straight lines and symmetry.
Soil Balanced Fertilizer Provides A Total Solution
Soil conditions can vary dramatically from region to region and even from backyard to backyard in the same neighborhood. Unfortunately, packaged fertilizers often assume that every plot of garden soil needs exactly the same nutrients.
New Flowering Perennials Add Pizzazz To Garden
There’s nothing like new flowering perennials to add "pizzazz" to a tired garden, according to David Salman, president and chief horticulturist of High Country Gardens.
Landscaping With Clay Pavers: Beyond The Brick Path
Typically associated with traditional, formal landscaping and scenic drives through the many historic districts of our nation, landscaping with clay pavers is, increasingly, the choice of homeowners looking to add a bit of timeless beauty to their landscapes.
Building A Trellis: Enhance Your Outdoor Living Space With A Western Red Cedar Trellis
Trellises have been adding character and elegance to outdoor living spaces for years. Better yet, these stylish wooden structures are practical projects that bring everyday elegance to your yard or garden--and can be built in a single weekend.
Zoysia Grass Uses Less Water And Can Cut Your Lawn Watering Bills In Half
Zoysia grass is a tough, spreading turfgrass that grows into a permanent, perennial lawn that never needs reseeding. Unlike cool-season turfgrasses such as Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue and perennial ryegrass, zoysia grass is a warm-season grass that thrives in summer heat.
Outdoor Plumbing Makes A Comeback
Outdoor water spigots provide extra convenience for a wide range of home maintenance, lawn care and entertainment tasks. And fortunately, installing new exterior water service around your home is not as difficult as you might think.
Brick Industry Association Offers Technical Notes And Guidelines For Landscape Architects
Landscape architects must carefully balance their creativity against the constraints of federal, state and local building codes. The Brick Industry Association, a national trade group representing the clay brick industry, offers a variety of technical documents to help landscape architects understand these requirements.
Unique Gifts For The Gardeners On Your List
Let's face it, nobody ever puts socks and fruitcakes on their holiday "wish lists." So where can you find interesting gifts that are as fun to buy as they are to receive?
Winter Gardening Tips
Because it always provides "something to do," gardening can be a year-round activity. And if you can't think of any gardening tasks for the winter months, here are some tips to get you going.
Lawn Aeration Benefits Run Deep
Aerating your lawn is one of the most important things you can do to keep your lawn healthy and attractive. According to the Lawn Institute, the aerification process reduces thatch build-up in your lawn and opens passageways for air, water and nutrients to reach grass roots.
Clay Brick Paver Information Resources Available From The Brick Industry Association
Whether you're a homeowner, contractor or city planner, clay pavers offer durability, strength and value. Read this article to learn how the Brick Industry Association's online information resources can help you plan a paver project to make best use of this popular product.
Osmegen To Market First And Only EPA Registered Insecticide Chalk
Insecticide Chalk is a new alternative in the battle to control bugs, and the only legal, registered insecticide chalk available in the United States
Landscaping For Energy Savings
With consumers looking for effective ways to take control of their energy costs, an often over-looked opportunity can be found in landscaping.
Fall: The Best Time To Rejuvenate Your Lawn
Horticultural experts generally agree that proper lawn care in the Fall has greater impact than similar efforts in the Spring or any other season for rejuvenating a lawn throughout the year.
CedarStore.com Produces First Cedar Hurricane Gazebo
Coastal residents will again be able to include gazebos in their backyard.
From Bench To Desk To Picnic Table ... They Are All Maintenance Free
Looking for an eye-catching comfortable bench to use in the backyard? Or an outdoor desk? Or even a picnic table with bench seating? You can have them all with the unique new Multi-Bench -- and, best of all, you'll never have to worry about painting ...
Before Installing New Fencing, Get The Lay Of The Land
We rely on fences to serve an array of different purposes. They keep children and pets safe, offer privacy from nosy neighbors, transform yards into outdoor entertainment centers, and add beauty and value to property.
Brick Industry Association's Clay Paving Web Site: Helps Homeowners To Enhance Value And Appearance Of Their Homes
The Brick Industry Association invites you to visit its site which is dedicated to assisting homeowners interested in enhancing the value and aesthetics of their houses through the use of genuine clay pavers
2006 MGA Green Thumb Awards Given To 10 New Gardening Products
Five new plant varieties and five new gardening products have won 2006 MGA Green Thumb Awards presented by the Mailorder Gardening Association.
Rich Clay Color Now Available For CertainTeed's Bufftech Imperial Semi-Private Fence
CertainTeed Corporation expands design options in its Bufftech Imperial semi-private fence line with the addition of Clay to its color palette.
Stamp Out Grubs!
If your lawn looks brown (even though it's getting plenty of water) and its roots can be easily pulled out of the ground, blame it on lawn grubs.
Plant A Garden Anywhere
Want to grow tomatoes but don't have a garden plot? The Garden Patch Planter is the perfect way to grow full size tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables on a patio, balcony or any sunny area.
It's Easy To Grow Greens
One of the great joys of having a garden is being able to enjoy freshly picked salad greens.
New DVD Features Colorful Waterwise Plants
David Salman of High Country Gardens, is one of the nation's top experts on xeriscaping and waterwise garden plants. Now Salman has made much of his hands-on knowledge about waterwise gardening easily accessible with the release of a DVD video ...
It's Easy To Attract Hummingbirds And Butterflies To Your Garden
With just a little bit of planning, you can attract beautiful butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden.
New SOLO Chest-Mounted Spreader Is Ideal For Irregular Terrain
You can spread a larger variety of materials over a hilly, irregular plot of land more conveniently than a wheeled spreader with the new Solo model 421S chest mounted manual spreader from SOLO, Inc.
Grow Your Own Potatoes And Veggies For A Wholesome, Tasty Treat
The Organic Potato Blossom Festival and a new line of Organic Garden Seed are among the new offerings found in the 2006 Wood Prairie Farm mailorder catalog and website.
High Country Gardens Introduces New Plants For 2006
For Spring 2006, High Country Gardens continues its tradition of introducing unique new plants to American gardeners. The new offerings in the 2006 High Country Gardens mailorder catalog include ...
The Safe Way To Kill Mosquitoes Before They Bite
As the weather warms up, mosquitoes become an annoying part of the outdoor landscape. Homeowners looking for a safe, nontoxic way to control pesky, disease-spreading mosquitoes can use Mosquito Dunks ...
Mantis Electric Tiller Is Featured On NBC's 'Today Show'
The Mantis Electric Tiller was chosen as one of the best gardening tools for seniors by Jim Miller, "Savvy Senior" correspondent for NBC's 'Today Show.'
New Extended Reach Power Tools Make Landscape Jobs Easier
Homeowners who maintain their own yards are always trimming a little here and pruning a little there. But every year hedges grow larger, shrubs get bigger and trees grow taller, so sometimes it's tough to reach up to the branches that need to be trimmed.
The Easy Way To Grow Bigger, Tastier Tomatoes
If you want to grow tomatoes that are big and beautiful enough to win a blue ribbon at the State Fair, you may need to give Mother Nature a little help.
Plant Of The Month
The beauty and unflinching performance in harsh conditions will make Stachys inflata (Shrubby Lamb's Ear) a favorite in your garden.
Are Wasps And Yellowjackets 'Bugging' You?
You're all set to enjoy lunch on your lovely back patio when wasps discover your food and decide to crash your party. To control wasps and yellowjackets that become pests in the summer when foraging for food, try a Garden Solutions Wasp Trap.
Horticultural Oil Suffocates And Repels Insects Without Dangerous Chemicals
Horticultural oils have been used for years to control insect pests and mites on dormant trees and woody ornamental shrubs.
Garden Info Is Just A Click Away
Looking for information about gardening, garden catalogs and gardening websites? You're only a click or two away.
Grow A Xeric Aroma Garden
Preplanned gardens are all the rage because they combine an assortment of plants with similar growing needs and the pleasing-to-the-eye design skills of a professional landscaper. The Xeric Aroma Garden grows to create a living potpourri by bringing ...
A 'Designer' Zucchini
Backyard gardeners know how prolific zucchini plants can be. Sometimes zucchini plants produce so many of the delicious veggies that it's hard to give them all away.
All-Natural Lawn Fertilizer
Get your lawn off to its best start ever with all-natural fertilizer that not only produces turfgrass with a rich, green color but also improves the soil structure for a healthy lawn all year long.
One Potato, Two Potato, Three Potato--Four
Potatoes are often overlooked as a backyard gardening crop because it's hard to find interesting seed potato varieties at garden centers.
How To Get More Mileage From Your Lawn And Landscape
How enthusiastic are you about giving your lawn and landscape a spring tune-up? According to Den Gardner, executive director of Project EverGreen, it's a lot easier to get excited when you consider all the benefits it can bring.
A Container Garden "To Die For"
Container gardening is more popular than ever, and container plant selection is getting more and more sophisticated. Three stunning plant varieties make the Guardian Gate Collection a dramatic container showpiece.
Keep Trunk Clean With A Box Tidy
Gardeners are always visiting plant nurseries and bringing home more plants than they need. Unfortunately, plant containers can be wet and dirty, and they can really make a mess when they tip over in the trunk or in the back of the SUV.
Survey Says
According to the 2006 Early Spring Gardening Trends survey released by the Garden Writers Association Foundation, 52% of American households plan to purchase most of their spring plants at mass merchants and D-I-Y stores, while garden centers and loc ...
Kill Pests Without Using Harsh Chemicals
Year-Round Spray Oil is new lightweight horticultural oil that effectively controls pests on even the most sensitive plants such as roses, impatiens, philodendrons and ferns. It can be used any time during the year because it won't harm plant buds, ...
Delightful Delphinium
If you love delphiniums you're going to love Delphinium 'New Zealand Doubles Mixed.' New for 2006, 'New Zealand Doubles Mixed' is the first double-flowered mixture ever offered from seed.
Mantis Launches New Home and Garden Products Website
Mantis, known best for its original mini-tiller, has added a wide variety of products to its offerings over the years.
Instant, Foolproof Lawn Repairs With Turfgrass Sod
A patch of dead grass, even a small one, in an otherwise acceptable lawn can be an eyesore and a source of constant and consistent aggravation, unless you know how to fix it right and fast, the first time.
U.S.A. Brings A Lot To The Picnic Table
One of the greatest social events ever dreamed up, a picnic is a combination of food, family, friends, recreation, entertainment, and merriment. At the first sign of spring, people begin firing up their grills and taking their meals outdoors, and the ...
Front Porch Swings Are Always In Style
The porch has been a part of our dwellings since prehistoric times, when overhanging rocks were used for shelter.
Go For The Gusto--Get A Gazebo!
Fanciful or formal, fun or functional, the gazebo has come a long way since its origin as a roof-top structure ...
Drab Garden? Get Over It With A Bridge
Garden bridges can be traced to the earliest civilizations, where they decorated landscapes from the stately grounds of ancient Roman and Greek aristocracy, to the exotic water gardens of Japan and China.
Pride In Your Lawn Reflects Good Environmental Stewardship
You take pride in your lawn, investing considerable time and effort to maintain it. You know it increases your property value and that its aesthetic appeal reflects on you as a homeowner.
Lawns, Water And The Environment
People who want to maintain a beautiful and environmentally friendly landscape and conserve water can now turn to the book, "Water Right: Conserving Our Water, Preserving Our Environment."
High Quality Wood Lattice Provides Easy Outdoor Elegance
One of the easiest ways to add a touch of elegance, a note of class, or a decorative feeling to a yard or outdoor living area is to integrate lattice in your landscape. With its airy classic look, lattice provides an ideal backdrop for foilage and flowers, whether you’re entertaining or just relaxing with the family.
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