Homes Plus
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AUGUST 2013 HOMES PLUS 8 It's not too late to add a bit of pizzazz for your late summer, early fall garden By Melinda Myers SPECIAL TO HOMES PLUS WAUKESHA – Don't worry if our rainy spring and your busy schedule kept you from having the garden of your dreams. There's still time to add sparkle and enjoy your landscape this summer and fall. Start by filling in the voids or replacing faded annuals. Many garden centers now carry large size annuals ready to pop in the garden and add a little extra color. Even the smaller plants can be revived with a little pruning, teasing of the roots and close spacing. And soon, the fall annuals will fill the garden center shelves. Invest in a few container gardens or hanging baskets. Set them at entryways, on the deck or right in the garden. Or remove these from their container and plant the full-sized plants right in the garden. You'll have an instant impact and no one needs to be the wiser. Plus, you'll need to water less since the plants will be growing in-ground instead of in a container. The same goes for your planters. Replace weary annuals in existing planters and gardens with late-season beauties. You'll add a fresh new look to the planter and your surrounding garden. Summer and fall blooming perennials and shrubs can be planted now for immediate and long lasting garden appeal. Just make sure all new additions are mulched and properly watered throughout the remain- der of the garden season. Add a bit of whimsy and color with some garden art. Purchase something ready made or convert one of your discards or favorite old items into a colorful garden accent. Gazing balls are back in style but so are bowling balls painted to look like giant ladybugs or covered with pieces of stone or glass to create mosaic garden art. Add additional color and pizzazz to your containers with colorful dowel rods, stems from red or yellow twig dogwood and the contorted branches of corkscrew willows and Harry Lauder's Walking Stick. And don't forget to tuck in a few fairies or animal statues for the kids. Then look for some creative containers. Chairs, bikes, grills, old wagons and anything with a place to set plants can be converted into a planter. Or, paint them bright colors and place among your plants to create added interest and a colorful surprise for your visitors. As you can see there's still plenty of time to enjoy your garden. (Melinda Myers is a gardening expert, TV host and author with 30 years of horticulture experience and has written over 20 gardening books, including "Can't Miss Small Space Gardening." She hosts the nationally syndicated "Melinda's Garden Moment" segments which air on TV and radio stations throughout the U.S.) Photo courtesy of Melinda Myers LLC Offer Expires 9-15-13 233278003 Offer Expires 9-15-13