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Besides a little plant maintenance, and of course harvesting those fresh delicious vegetables, you have more time to sit back and enjoy your gardens now. While you are sitting around looking at your gardens after the hot summer, you may notice some plants are starting to look a little peaked, or you're lacking color somewhere, or those baskets and contain- ers are looking tired. You're probably thinking: What can I do to spruce things up a bit going into the fall? Annual plants are great for adding color, but after a long hot summer, some varieties can start to look a little shabby. This is true for both our beds and con- tainers. But don't panic, it's not like we have to completely re-do everything to spruce things up. First, pull out any diseased or poor look- ing plants and leave the healthy ones alone. Simply clean the healthy ones up a little if needed. Do the same things with your con- tainers. Sometimes they just need a little maintenance by cutting them back and picking out dead leaves. Now that you have removed the bad plants, take a road trip to your favorite gar- den center. If you're like me, I'm always looking for an excuse to visit a garden cen- ter. You will find some good sales in progress on any remaining annuals and see they are starting to gear up for fall with new plants. Many even keep new freshly planted con- tainers available if you simply want to replace the whole thing. Pick up what you need and return to replace what you removed. Done? You now have instant, healthy plants in full color again. You also might have some shabby looking perennials around. Anything diseased should be cut away. Anything overgrown can be trimmed back by about one-half. I wouldn't do any transplanting now, but look around and make plans for fall if any- thing needs to be done. Also, if you notice you have holes and would like some perennial color at this time of year in those spots, again jump in the car and go for a ride. Another trip to the garden center! You'll be able to see what is in bloom this time of year and, of course, things are gen- erally on sale. Add some perennial color to the beds, if you want. As mentioned earlier, fall product will start to show up toward the end of the month. Beautiful mums, asters, ornamen- tal cabbage and kale, pansies, and decora- tive black-eyed Susans are normally avail- able. I'm sure you can find room for these. As weather cools and gardens transition we also tend to spend more time outside enjoying the change of season, so don't for- get to dress up that patio or deck. Put some color where you are going to be spending time. Make it a tranquil retreat from your busy life. It really doesn't take that much time, or money, to wake up your landscape again by adding some color back into it. So instead of feeling discouraged about how your gar- dens and containers look after a tough sea- son, brighten your mood by brightening up your landscape. As always, happy gardening. (Michael Timm is a horticulturalist at Ebert's Greenhouse Village in Ixonia.) HOMES PLUS AUGUST 2017 6 K i t c h e n s | B a t h s | D e n s | C a b i n s | O f f i c e s | R e c R o o m s Work With Experienced Design Professionals "We Specialize in Cabinetry" 1005 Richards Road, Hartland | 262.367.9439 www.kitchencreators.com Cabinetry For Every Room, Every Budget! WE OFFER: NORCRAFT CABINETRY MID CONTINENT CABINETRY OMEGA CABINETRY DYNASTY CABINETRY WOODLAND CABINETRY 256649001 We Beat All Big Box Stores and all Competitors | Visit Our Showroom By Appointment Make an appointment today and learn about the new trends and cabinet specials. MICHAEL TIMM Heat or deluge got your garden down? Michael Timm Notice the neat and clean look as well as efficient use of space in this photo of the author's home garden plot of mostly peppers. Michael Timm The author found new plants at Ebert's Greenhouse Village to freshen up his flower bed at home during this wet sum- mer that proved hard on some varieties. Take out the bad, trim back the overgrown and plant perennials during August sales

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