Perfect Outdoor Autumn Decor

 Make the most out of your outdoor living space with unique Autumn decor, setting up your landscape for the perfect Halloween party. Check out the following great outdoor decor ideas and have fun!

Greet trick-or-treaters with a scarecrow mascot. Give it a personality to match your style: scary or friendly, male or female, casual or formal. Use lumber to create the body: a 2x4 for the main post, a 1x4 for the shoulders and four more 1x4s for the arms. Use wood glue and fasteners to secure the elbow joints. A dried or plastic gourd will last longer than a fresh one and a scarf is the perfect accessory to cover up any unsightly handiwork.

DIY Network 

Unique Fall Flowers For Your Garden

 Make your garden stand out with unique flowers that do well in the Fall. You may be surprised at the following selection of flowers, but they fare well in the colder seasons.

"When you think of fall color, you no doubt think of mums and pansies. After all, they're the most popular plants of the season, and supplies are plentiful," Paul says. "But the next time you think of fall color, think of spring."

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Plants That Work Well In Cold Weather

 Do you enjoy color in your garden all year round? Are you unsure of which plants will work in the cold weather? Read the following advice on cold weather plants, and then give us a call.

Where freezes are infrequent, you can plant cheery pansies (pictured), snapdragons, English daisies, and more from early fall through late winter. They'll overwinter, filling your borders, containers, and pocket gardens with months of flower power.

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Entertaining In Your Outdoor Space

 Take advantage of your outdoor living space all year around with the following ideas from This Old House. Turn your backyard into an entertainment space, we can help you with any design idea.

The low-maintenance play zones are close to the house and pool, where they offer options for entertainment after a morning swim or before a barbeque feast. Together, they provide the perfect enticement for fun-­seekers.

This Old House 

The Best Foundation Plants For Curb Appeal

 Curb appeal helps sell homes, but it shouldn't only be considered when you are trying to sell. Give the exterior of your home some special attention by using the following advice for foundation plants.

There is something unsettlingly stark about the intersection where house meets land—it begs to be softened with greenery. But just hiding that juncture with a tight fringe of evergreens isn't the answer. Neither is a one-scheme-fits-all formula. 

This Old House 

Winterize Your Garden Before Winter

 With the weather getting colder soon, you may be wondering how to keep your garden bright and lovely. There are so many creative options for your garden, plants that thrive in cold weather, and we will help you decide which ones are best.

Roger lines wire window boxes with sheet moss, which adds color while holding back soil. Eco-friendly coir mats, made from coconut husks, do the job equally well. Here, sheet moss forms a base for the bright red berries and shiny leaves of wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens). Taller variegated boxwood (1), miniature juniper (Juniperus communis ‘Compressa’) (2), and redtwig dogwood branches (Cornus sericea) (3) line the back of the wire window box.

• This Old House
  

Host Thanksgiving Outdoors This Year

 While it may seem too cold to contemplate, hosting your Thanksgiving dinner in your outdoor living space can provide a nice change of scene. After all, this may be the last time you can really enjoy your outdoor space before it gets really cold.

Creamy mashed potatoes get even better when topped with a savory trio of cheese, onions and bacon. Plus, these potatoes offer make-ahead appeal. —JoAnn Koerkenmeier, Damiansville, Illinois

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The Hottest Trends For Landscape Design

 Are you looking for ways to spruce up your landscape design? Do you even know where to start? Look at the following from HGTV for the latest trends, and then give us a call.

Retaining walls made of stone, brick or concrete can shore up the layers of a sloping yard and define flower beds. The main bed, bordered by a granite retaining wall, is filled with purple 'Wave' petunias, while fountain grass grows near the house's large front window. Crape myrtles, which bloom all summer long, make a beautiful, low-maintenance tree.

HGTV 

How Dangerous Are Falling Leaves?

 As Fall quickly approaches we wait for the beautiful scenery and cooler air to appear,providing a much needed break from the hot summer. Sure the falling leaves are pretty, but are they safe for your garden? Read below for the answer...

Leaves and lawn clippings are organic matter that naturally leach nutrients and compost into soluble nutrients and minerals. Soluble products follow groundwater, especially surface waters to ponds and bayous.

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Outdoor Games For Your Halloween Party

 As Halloween quickly approaches, party planning should be at the forefront.Throw a party that your children will remember forever with these outdoor Halloween games.

This is just like a traditional egg/spoon race but instead of using eggs you will use plastic eyeballs (found at the dollar store or you can paint ping pong balls to resemble).You can have races where all the children hold a spoon and races to a finish line balancing the eyeball on the spoon. They cannot hold or shield the eyeball with their hand and if it falls off their spoon they are out. Another way this game can be played is as a relay race.

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Make Use Of Your Outdoor Kitchen

 Dinner should be a relaxing event spent with loved ones, in a comfortable surrounding. Having dinner outside is always a nice change of pace, and it's even better when you can cook outdoors. Read below for the benefits of an outdoor kitchen...

If you love living in the country, you don’t have to be stuck indoors at mealtimes. With an outdoor kitchen you can cook and dine, grill and chill, all while feasting your eyes on the beauty around you and immersing yourself in nature’s best. What better way to relax with family and friends than to prepare and share a meal as the sun sets and the stars rise?

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