Fall is coming again. Some parts of the Northern Hemisphere are already feeling the little nibbles of chill in the early morning hours. And while this time of the year is one of the most beautiful and tranquil times of the year for many of us, it's also your last chance to get ready for the coming Winter.
I asked a few good writer friends to share with us some of their favorite resources. So, here they are. I hope you find a few of them useful. (Give these writers a good look-see. They have other works you might enjoy too. Well worth the time!)
How to Prepare Your Rose Bushes for Winter by Andrea Coventry
Roses are temperamental flowers, requiring a great deal of maintenance and care. Preparing them properly in the fall for the long, cold winter, will keep them vibrant throughout the spring and summer. Start preparing for the winter from the moment you purchase your new rose bushes. Read labels carefully to make sure that they are hardy enough to thrive in your zone. I have found rose bushes being sold in Rochester, NY that are only hardy to about 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Winters in Upstate New York get much colder than that. If you are not sure of your zone, check the labels. They usually have color-coded maps that indicate what your zone is. If still in doubt, check with the nursery.
In the fall, when they have finished blooming, you first want to be sure to ...go here for the rest.
It aint just the flowers you need to get ready in the Fall. You'll find, if you just bother to look around, there's a whole mess of projects waiting for you to get 'er done. So, here's a helpful list for the not-so-organized.
20 Gardening Tasks for October by Andrea Coventry
October is a great time in the fall to start getting your garden ready for the winter. There is always plenty to do.
1. Clean out the annuals.
Annual flowers are not going to make it through the winter, anyway. Start cleaning up the beds by removing the annuals. If you have a compost pile, add them to it. Otherwise dispose of them appropriately.
2. Cut back perennials.
Perennial flowers that have not yet been cut back should be cut back at this time. You can also cut back the decorative grasses.
3. Trim diseased or sickly areas on bushes, trees, and shrubs.
Only do simple trimming back of obviously dead or diseased areas on trees, bushes, and shrubs. Major reshaping is better left for the spring.
4. Dig up tuberous plants.
If you want to keep plants such as your tuberous begonias, dahlias, and cannas for the following year, now is the time to dig them up. Wait until the green areas have fallen back. Store them in peat moss in a cool area such as the basement. Replant them in the fall.
5. Plant bulbs.
You have been planning your spring display all spring and summer long. Now is the time to plant all of those bulbs. Use a bulb planter to make sure you...go here for the rest.
Whoo-WEE! All that work's got you tired, huh! Okay, maybe you've earned a break. You'll want to know what's coming up on the boob-tube:
ABC Releases New 2011/2012 Lineup of Shows by Karen Gros
ABC network released their new 2011/2012 television schedule the morning of Wednesday, May 18, 2011. The new lineup includes a mixture of very successful shows like Grey's Anatomy , Modern Family, Desperate Housewives and Private Practice along with a slew of new shows debuting in the lineup.
New shows include Good Christian Belles, Last Man Standing, Apartment 23, 101 Ways to Leave a Game Show, Man Up, Work It, Suburgatory, Expedition Impossible, Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition, Pan Am, Once Upon a Time, Missing, Charlie's Angels, Revenge, The River, Scandal, and ...go here for the rest.
Okay. Break's over! Now, getting back to work means you're going to need equipment right? So, here's a great resource, about exactly that! While you might think this would be a Spring-time article topic, it might surprise you to discover how much you can save by making these purchases in the Fall.
Lawn and Garden Tractors: A Buyer's Guide by Cherise Kelley
Here is an overview of 12 different riding lawn mowers and lawn and garden tractors. Advantages and disadvantages of each model are noted, including price. There are two major categories of lawn and garden tractors. Riding lawn mowers are good for mowing lawns, hauling (with optional wagon), and for raking leaves, which is known as lawn sweeping. As well as mow lawns, haul, and sweep, lawn and garden tractors with ground-engaging transmissions can also tow accessories that dig into the earth. Such accessories are aerators, cultivators, harrows, dethatchers, scrapers, and graders. These earth-digging capabilities are known as cultivating activities. OK, on to the lawn and garden tractors!
Husqvarna 27-HP Hydrostatic Ground Engaging 54" Cut Lawn and Garden Tractor - Model # 2754GLS - Available for...go here for the rest.
Well, there's more to most yards than just the lawn-care and garden prep. What about your patio?
How to Prepare Your Patio Garden for Winter by Sandra Petersen
You have taken the time to personalize your patio garden and to create a lush and shaded retreat during the hot summer months. Have you given thought to what you must do to make your patio garden ready for winter? The time for preparing your patio garden for the often harsh winter months is in the fall. This is especially true if your winter climate is one that includes snow and cold temperatures.
Bringing Patio Garden Plants Indoors
If you are planning on bringing patio garden plants inside for the winter, you should...go here for the rest.
With all that hard work comes not only the satisfaction of a job well done, there are also those terribly painful blisters.
Blister Care and Prevention by Sandra Petersen
Have you ever experienced this? Your feet feel hot and sweaty inside that new pair of hiking boots, but you have quite a distance to go before you can rest. You ignore your discomfort until you begin to limp. By then it's too late. You have developed a blister.
Or maybe the first day of spring yard work finds you using a push mower to cut the grass or loppers to trim away some overgrown branches. Your work didn't take very long, but now in the places you gripped the tool your flesh is raised and squishy to the touch. This, too, is a blister.
Blisters, also known as bulla, are the skin's way of protecting its deeper layers from bacteria. A blister is a layer of skin that rides atop a watery cushion of body fluids. If left alone, it would heal itself because the fluids would...go here for the rest.
This next friend of mine writes on all sorts of helpful topics. But, she's a little shy. So I chased down one of her topics. Who doesn't love to hike in the Fall?
12 Tips for Fall Hikers by Linda Ann Nickerson
Fall is a fine time for hiking. Trees explode with autumn color, while shedding their leaves to provide more expansive panoramas for wilderness lovers. Summer heat and humidity give way to cooler temperatures that only add to hikers' energy levels. Still, autumn hiking carries a few cautions and concerns of its own.
Here are 12 tips for fall hikers, to ensure safer and more enjoyable walks in the autumn wilderness.
Look to layers for autumn hikes.
Outdoor temperatures and weather conditions can change quickly, so smart hikers...go here for the rest.
While we're on the topic of Fall, don't forget all that good food. Here's a great recipe for Autumn get-togethers, and it's not just another chicken recipe:
Autumn Corn Bread by Linda Ann Nickerson
Made with ground maize (Indian corn) or sweet corn, this delicious traditional Autumn Corn Bread is a sure-fire favorite fall side dish.
Surely a staple of the first Thanksgiving feast, shared by the Plymouth Pilgrims and their Native American neighbors, Autumn Corn Bread is a popular Thanksgiving Dinner selection.
The American Minutemen of the Revolutionary War ...go here for the rest.
Y'know what? Fall is also the home of a couple of the best holidays, so why not share a turkey recipe (a really great turkey recipe) with you here, too? Even if you don't make it now, it's a recipe worth bookmarking for later.
Holiday turkey wrapped in bacon by Rachel de Carlos
Not everyone likes turkey, but this is one bird that everyone picks at, right down to the bones. Why? It's juicy. It has crunchy skin. And it has a bacon flavor from being roasted with a shroud of beautifully woven bacon strips. It looks good, it smells good, it tastes heavenly.
Choose whatever size turkey will feed your guests and allow for a day or two of leftovers. A fresh turkey will end up crispier and tastier, but frozen will work fine as long as you thoroughly defrost it in the fridge. This will probably take several days, so...go here for the rest.
Okay, enough with the food, right? Right! Now, on to the ever-important topic of auto maintenance for the Fall:
Auto Repair Advice: Tips for the Fall by Spencer E. Razo
This is going to be an interesting article for everyone to learn something about auto repair advice and tips for the up and coming Fall. With over 25 years of experience I have seen my share of vehicles coming into the shop on tow trucks during the Fall seasons. Most of these could have been prevented if the customers took the time to get their vehicles up to date on their maintenance schedules. The best auto repair advice I can give to you is have your car inspected every Fall and Spring. Plan on spending a few hundred dollars doing this. Anything over five hundred dollars I would get a second opinion.
The Fall weather will bring us a lot of moisture and rain. Worn out secondary ignition components will...go here for the rest.
Like I said, you should really get to know these authors. They're entertaining and informative. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Feel free to share these with friends, too. Just send 'em this page, or give us a Stumble. Thank you for stopping by.
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