 Thank you, Tom. It's great to be here. And hi everybody. It's great to be here this evening And I'm excited to talk about landscaping. Well, let's get right into it Our focus is on how to improve our current landscapes now most of Most of our homes There we go. Now most homeowners live in a house that's already been landscaped now the principles that we talk about Will apply to brand-new landscapes as well But we're especially going to focus on things that we as homeowners who have a Landscape already installed and growing can do to make those landscapes even better And now almost all landscapes can be improved, you know They're almost anything can stand a little bit of improvement. You know some places need a little more improvement than others But we're going to take a look and of the ideas that we present Not all of these will need to be implemented to every home But we can kind of pick and choose the concepts that will make our own home more attractive Now here's a painting and it's it's much easier to Design a perfect landscape on a painted canvas in real life It can be a little trickier to get that landscape to look exactly the way that we'd like it to But there are specific ways that we can use to improve almost any Landscape and that's what we're going to focus on are some Specifics that we can look at for improving our landscapes Now here's the first one and it's first because it's probably the most important and the first rule in This is to create a focal point at the home's front entry and in all of home landscape This is probably the most important concept is this focal point now the focal point of the home landscape is the point If a person is driving by on the street or walking along in the sidewalk and looking at our home landscapes the focal point is where the eye would naturally be drawn and The eye should naturally be drawn to the home's front entry And in that way the entire landscape and the home will look very Welcoming to people and it just creates an entire package So even if a person did nothing else with improvement in your home landscape Creating a focal point at the front entry goes a long ways to improving the entire landscape Now how do we create a focal point at the entry? Well as we can see here We've grouped plant material up towards the front door We've even used some impatience that are similar color as the front door so notice the way when you look at that photo just kind of glides to the front entry and Other ways that can be used Notice the the house on the left the bluish-gray home Of course the sidewalk naturally Focuses your eye up to the front door, but they've also used plantings on either side of that sidewalk and the whole thing just guides your eye To the focal point of the front door the other photos use flowers annual flowers. We could use perennial flowers as well Notice the lower right-hand photo of the gray house The flowers planted in front notice the way that they just guide your eye that could be even more Effective if they included the same type of flowers a little closer Up towards the front door, maybe even some pots of flowers up at that point and now an easy way to create that front entry focal point is Through the use of container flowers notice the grouping of three three on the photo on the right notice the grouping of three how that just Leads your eye also up to the front door So the use of flowering containers is an easy way through the spring summer and fall to create that focal point Our rule number two is if we are in a house that has older plantings Rejuvenating and trimming those overgrown shrubs works very well to give a renewed look to the landscape So first of all, let's talk about if we've got old overgrown deciduous leafy shrubs Let's talk about rejuvenating those for a minute now many deciduous leafy shrubs can be rejuvenated nicely and given a whole new look by cutting back to about six inches above ground level and The time to do that is spring April works beautifully Before the shrub leaf south and by cutting them back we get rid of all the old wood and they'll sprout nicely from the base This works very well with potentilla spirea Lilac dogwood nine bark mock orange and more we can't do this with evergreens it doesn't work but by cutting these back and Now is not the time to be timid if we cut back an old overgrown woody shrub if we only cut it back halfway We still have an old overgrown a shrub. It's just not quite as tall So take the leap and go all the way back. It does work very very well, and April is a good time to do that And maybe our shrubs don't need a total rejuvenation Maybe they just need a little trimming to make them look neater or to maintain the size a bit So when trimming shrubs using a hand shears or loppers to selectively cut branches works Well, so we can selectively kind of randomly cut the branches that will maintain a nice natural shape Now shearing shrubs with a head shears or a motorized trimmer Gives kind of an unnatural shape. So in most cases that's not as Natural pleasing looking as the selective cutting that we talked to about before Unless your home is very very formal and you have a sheared type landscape But otherwise shearing of shrubs really does not look that natural around most of our homes Unless of course you live in Disneyland Okay, now the idea 3 Many foundation plantings when they were installed were not extended far enough out from the foundation at any time You know the shrubs look so small when they're small But when they grow then they extend outward and you know, I've never heard anybody say you know 25 30 years down the road after planting I've never heard anyone say, you know, we came way too far out from the house with our planting bed Usually it's the opposite So what do we do if we didn't come out far enough, you know in 10 12 feet would be a nice Distance out But what if we didn't do that? Well, we could trim up our shrubbery or rejuvenate them But we can also Bring out extend out that existing planting bed, you know leave the shrubs these older shrubs rejuvenate trim But bring the edging out farther into the lawn to give kind of a look of a new edge Now we could do that by digging out the sod or if the sod is weak We could wrote a till or we could even leave the sod in place but smother it with newspaper or layers of cardboard and Or we could use a grass-killing herbicide to kill off and then dig down and install a new edge Ways out from the shrubbery and what that will do by extending that edge out giving it kind of a nice crisp look That will give the appearance that it is that the planting bed is out at the appropriate distance from the foundation Then we can add new mulch and give a good crisp look So even a foundation planting that was installed too close to the house foundation We could recover it at this time by coming out farther and installing fresh new edging Now idea for create curves in the landscape now in nature Curves curving lines are just restful relaxing a good natural feel So if our home landscape was installed with straight linear or rectangular lines It's not too late to introduce curves into it Yeah, we can do that in a fairly simple few simple ways and an extension cord or a Garden hose can be used to kind of test out the curves that you'd like you can kind of manipulate those in different ways to get a Curving gentle flowing then once you have those where you'd like them You can paint on the grass and then use a shovel to cut down through the turf and Install a new edging Now take a look at the photo on the left that is a very straight line Now imagine how that would look if we introduced a broad sweeping curve You know, we'd probably have to add some more hosta to follow the curve But wouldn't that look pleasing with with those nice sweeping curves now? We can overdo it the photo on the right is a little bit too squiggly now I mentioned we're talking about broad sweeping curves The squiggly lines if you look at that long enough you kind of get a little seasick So again not not too squiggly. We want a nice broad sweeping curve in those Okay, our idea number five Keep the edges neat and crisp now This is fairly easy to do on our landscapes if we've got edging installed We can with a weed trimmer just trim up neat and remove the Remove any grass that's kind of growing over the edging. We could even dig out the grass It's maybe creeped over onto the edging but notice how sharp and clean that beautiful edge looks and that really makes almost any Landscape pop our idea six avoid developing landscape beds smack dab in front of the house that could divert attention away from the house or even block the view of the house so now if you already have a Planting bed right square in front of the house. I mean don't remove it. Don't tell your spouse Well, Kinzler said that all has to go. No, we work with what we have But if you don't already have a planting bed right square in front of the house Maybe instead of that Keep the plantings off to the sides notice how pleasing this is they have a tree off to the sides Planting kind of off we can visualize the house So keep keep our plantings kind of off to the side Perimeters rather than right in front of the house Now in that way the home will always be the visible feature and of course in our home landscapes That is a key element our home should be the feature and we should always be able to kind of see the home The landscape is meant to soften. So instead of just plantings along the foundation it works very well to Save some of those landscape dollars and plant material off to the sides to the Perimeters as well, and then it will look like the house was placed into a nice natural setting Our idea number seven when you're going to locate trees avoid planting trees where they'll block the view of the house, you know landscaping in many ways is what is a Treat that you give to the community We all enjoy driving by walking by and looking at people's front landscape And so we want to see your home in its natural setting now in the photo on the left of the gray house Beautiful tree. We're certainly not going to cut it down But when that tree was planted if it would have been planted farther towards the garage It would help kind of conceal the garage and we would be able to see the house better that way We'd enjoy both the tree and the home so always Picture when we plant a young tree picture what it will look like when it grows Idea 8 is an important one also now when you plant a tree and shrub always Investigate the eventual width and height so that for with a shrub for example Look at the tag or investigate What is the eventual width of that shrub so that when you're planting a little shrub you give it the Footprint that is needed to accommodate that width Idea 9 now. This is a fun one you utilize the potential of the backyard Corners especially if it's fenced in like this or even if it isn't fenced we can give some privacy to it So let's look at some ideas what we could do with those unused back corners Wouldn't this be fun to go sit in that back corner like that? Kind of a little private oasis some other ideas We could use those back corners of the backyard to develop a new perennial garden or develop a Spot like that to go and sit that would be fun, too Idea 10 is to make use of our small spaces Maybe it's the spot between your house and the neighbor's house Spots like that can be utilized very nicely There are many Column or pyramidal Straight-up type shrubs even some small trees that go upward instead of out perennial flowers work well for areas like that and so good areas to utilize if space is limited Ideas 11 and 12 add a bench a bench put in a landscaping whether it's even in the front yard But off to the side or in the backyard a bench Even if we in our gardening times don't have time to always sit there It's pleasing to know that that bench is there and it just makes a It makes a landscape look very restful also lighting can help extend our use of the landscape into the evening Especially the backyard and so many of these solar powered lights are very useful for that Now idea 13 Combine perennial flowers into the landscape instead of just shrubbery if we combine hardy winter hardy perennials We can use perennial types We can plant some that are early summer blooming and then plant a few that are summer flowering and Include fall blooming ones. So then we will have a landscape that is continually Changing with bright new flowers all season long and that that makes the landscape fun idea 14 control the weeds Maybe not such a fun part of the landscape, but also necessary now a couple of weed control ideas now We can see a preen being sprinkled over landscape bed now preen is a granular Weed preventer it has to be applied on to clean weed free I won't prevent weeds coming from the root such as quackgrass thistle such as that but it can't help reduce labor now It's important to know that Landscape fabric it does allow weeds to grow they can sprout from above and root Root down and come from below. So we need to monitor It's fun to walk around the landscape in the evening at least a couple of times a week and as we'd start You know pluck them out right away on the left hand side There is a grass killer that can selectively kill grass out of other perennials. So that's That's a very effective tool as well now shredded mulch is a great use in our landscape The wood product mulches are much more plant friendly Than rock rock tends to get hot and it compresses the soil So wood product mulch is much more plant friendly than the rock idea 15 The lawn is meant to be merely a canvas on which the rest of the landscape is featured So many of us are reducing the size of our lawns But even if we have a smaller lawn we can keep it healthy with a couple of easy to do things First of all let the clippings filter back in there's no need to beg them up the clippings add nutrients They add organic matter. So no need to haul to the waste The waste collection site mow your lawn high At a three inch level it'll out compete weeds and keep the roots cooler as well And unless your lawn is a total carpet of weeds There's no need to spray the entire lawn Just a little bit of spot spray on the weeds that pop up or just dig them out Fertilizing if you're a choose one time of year the most effective for lawn Fertilizing is September Labor Day secondary time Memorial Day watering water deeply and less often Don't water frequent shallow sprinklings that causes weak shallow roots instead water One inch per week in one application or in light sandals divide the inch into two waterings Now idea 16 know our hardiness zone now if we plant material and check the Tague or do some investigating plant material that's winter hardy in zones three is well adapted for our area now Plant material that's specified for zone four We should investigate a little bit because zone four is a large zone as you can see from north to south and some of the Plant material tree shrubs perennials listed as zone four would be happier in the southern Borders of zone four. So do a little investigating on zone four Now our home is definitely our castle and if we can take some of these ideas and Improve our landscape just a little bit then we'll really enjoy it all the more and of course the most important rule in Landscaping above all else is to enjoy and thank you very much. Let's see if there are any questions Thanks, Don. Well, that was totally inspiring Let's see Does anybody have any questions for Don and if you read them off Tom I might be able to see but if you'll read them anyway, that's so far done. I just got I just got people saying wow Oh Well, that's wonderful If we've got a minute, how about if I give another comment common question on cleaning perennial flower beds Or if we have perennials in the landscape Perennials over winter better if the tops are left on all fall and then removed in the spring Before the new growth starts, but now it's interesting. We've learned that we keep learning which is fun Now we've learned that Native natural bees and pollinators are often nesting in those hollow stems of perennials And so if we remove those stems there may still be pollinators in there So instead of burning them just stack them to the back of the perennial bed and leave them there until at least mid-summer Okay, Don the questions are starting to roll in now. How about do you have any comments about water features? Water features wonderful. They give such a relaxing restful feel and so especially in the backyard backyard corners water features that excellent How about this person has a blue spruce tree that's 20 years old and was planted too close to the house Yeah, we should have too close to the house now that brings up the case of pruning evergreens Now when we prove evergreens, they don't respond the same way the leafy deciduous shrubs We can't cut evergreens back the same way so usually pruning even to a limit the size needs to be in Our pruning cuts need to be kept in the outer perimeter where there's still a good healthy growth So it's difficult to cut way back onto a spruce or other evergreen because they just won't come back So a too tall spruce is difficult There's not a whole lot that can be done If it still looks good then sometimes it looks good But yeah, there's not a good way to remedy a spruce that was planted too close and that's very common You know because they look so cute when they're small Yeah, how about Don you have a favorite material for edging because your photos Edges Favorite material for edging now. That's fun. I myself just personal preference. I kind of like bricks You can get old recycled bricks a fairly easy that gives a nice natural edging I've still used a fair amount of the black vinyl edging that looks good. It becomes kind of Invisible almost Steel edging is good. The Canadians use a lot of no edging. They just cut that nice crisp edge But you do have to maintain it so they almost don't use any edging. They let a kind of a cut be the edge So I guess the edging is not meant to be too visible So I like natural brick because then it just kind of blends so the less visible the edging probably the better Okay, how about Preventing grass in rose beds is I saw in your photo. You had grass be gone. Yes No, that would work beautifully there are Herbicides weed killers that are specific to killing grass One is the the ortho product that I pictured called grass be gone another company is Let's see. I believe it's called grass beater and so anyway, they are specific to killing grasses Grass type of plants so they will not harm broad leaves like roses So a person needs to read and follow the label directions But on the label directions if it's on the label you can apply the grass killer Right over the top of something like a rose or peony but try to target the grass and they will Those products will selectively kill the grass. They're usually slow acting You may have to apply a couple of times, but they are quite effective, but always read and follow label directions This person likes mulching and woodmills, but the prom is it keeps blowing away. Got any yeah, that's a good good question now the Wood chips, you know the kind of chunks of wood or bark chunks they tend to blow and float away much eat much more readily than the shredded bark and the shredded bark there's even some Some called double shredded They tend to nest together and pack together better and so some of those tend to be maybe a little more expensive because You know, they're probably worth it. They nest together a little better. So look for Kind of more finely ground or more fibers that would kind of pack together better kind of the double shredded wood product bark mulch Okay, so the bargain brands. I notice tend to float and blow better or worse right Okay, this is a little bit off target, but we're gonna hit you with it and has to do with Have you ever heard of shedding needle disease in Douglas fir? Shedding needle disease for Douglas fir, you know Douglas fir are not that common I know there are some around I don't know a whole lot about the needle shedding on Douglas fir So that of course wouldn't be Acceptable to some of these spruce type disease since Douglas fir is a different species. So no, I'm drawing a blank on that one I could certainly look up some information on that Okay, you can contact Don directly and he's in Yeah Donald Kinsler at ndsu.edu. I'm not sure if we're listing my contact at the end or not You know also, that's not fall needle drop. Is it I don't I've never heard a shedding needle disease Um It's a new one for me, but I'm not really familiar with Douglas fir diseases, but right. Let's move ahead here. How about Do you have any comments about using shredded rubber mulching? I know that's a wonderful question shredded rubber mulch and sometimes it's sold packaged and It's oftentimes died as well now I've seen research research Questioning the use of that around plant materials because the rubber mulch made from ground up hires could possibly leach Oily type materials down into the soil. So I have seen some research cautions on that So I wonder if shredded rubber mulch might be better on a playground But they are looking out to see if there are any leaching type materials So the jury is probably still out on that, but I have my hesitation for rubber mulch around plants Okay, how about Let's talk about lilies Are there some lilies that you dig up in the fall and you have to store indoors or can all lilies Remain in the ground through the winter. Well, there is a there is variants in the winter hardiness of lilies The Asiatic lilies are normally fully hardy And then because when you look up lilies, they're categorized Asiatic lilies are generally hardy for our area remain in the ground all winter the Oriental lilies One of the most popular is the stargazer lily the pink and white stargazer. They're marginally hardy They can be left out but mulch and the Easter type lily is a lily species that is not generally hardy But sometimes we can get it to grow if you put a two feet of mulch over it in the winter time So the best to plant are the Asiatic lilies there's a group called Mardigan lilies and the Oriental lilies with mulch and Otherwise rather than digging up and storing indoors and Planting probably better to choose those that are more reliable hardy because like the Asiatic's there's all kinds of good Good varieties in wide-ranging colors Okay, I think That's all the questions we got down tonight. I just got to say man. That was totally inspiring I am aren't we gonna all enjoy getting out there again, you know when you see a few Aren't we going to enjoy this again? It was known in Bismarck a little bit today We had We woke up with a light covering a frosty snow as well We're gonna we're going to be ready and we're going to be what's the word not entitled but we deserve a good spring Don let me just ask is tell me a few of your favorite perennials favorite perennials. Yeah The day lilies Day lilies and not a little Stella Dioro that's in front of every dentist office, but the day lilies There's such wonderful ones buttered popcorn is one of my favorites tall flocks Some of the newer ones that are disease-resistant tall flocks are wonderful Let's see gosh, it's like trying to pick your favorite children Monarda wonderful the cone flowers Well, so those are just a few peonies gosh I love peonies and some of the new hybrids of the cost is coming down on some of the new hybrid peonies Okay, that's great. Thanks Don again