TRENDS
When trimming bushes and trees in the yard, homeowners should be mindful that the best time to trim often depends on the type of bush, tree or shrub.
Pruning Tips for Trees and Shrubs
Add Style to Your Outdoor Spaces
Each year homeowners across America spend approximately $40-billion upgrading, enhancing and decorating their outdoor living spaces. Don't have a fortune to spend on landscaping, outdoor furnishings and backyard accessories? It's easy to add a touch of style and create the perfect outdoor living space with some paint and a little imagination. Here's a few ideas from the outdoor decorating experts at Rust-Oleum: Transforming the look of patios, porches and walkways can accentuate the beauty of your outdoor spaces. Does your concrete look old, dated, weathered? Now you can refresh concrete surfaces and make them look new again with Rust-Oleum Semi-Transparent Concrete Stain Kits. Add warmth with colors like Terra Cotta or Tuscan Rock. Want to give your patio a trendy look? Try deeper, neutral colors like Sandstone or Slate. The water-based Concrete Stain is easy to apply and adds durable color and dimension to concrete surfaces. Designer patio sets, lawn chairs and other outdoor furniture can cost thousands of dollars. Why not give your old furniture a "facelift" with spray paint like Rust-Oleum Universal? It's the first all-surface spray paint, so you can paint plastic, vinyl, metal, wood, and more without worry-
ing about it chipping or peeling. Use Espresso Brown or Real Almond to give your patio set a sophisticated, chic appearance. Want to add a burst of color to your outdoor spaces? Try vibrant colors like Crimson Red or Canary Yellow. Planters and garden accents are a great way to add a personal touch to your patio and garden -- but they can end up costing a pretty penny. Instead of spending a small fortune on decorative accessories, pick up some unfinished concrete pieces from your local store and spray them with a concrete stain like Rust-Oleum Concrete Stain Aerosol. Transform ordinary planters into decorative accent pieces with colors like Burnished Gold and Sienna. Give statuary a classic look with Concrete Stain Aerosol in Earth Brown and Pewter. Protect your stained pieces with Concrete Sealer Aerosol, available in two sheens: gloss and natural. These UV and chemical resistant sealers add years of durability to concrete, stone and masonry. For more inspiration and project ideas, visit www.paintideas.com. There are hundreds of easy, inexpensive projects that can help you transform any outdoor or indoor living space.
Spring has sprung!
Trees are budding, flowers are blooming, everything's turning green ... and it's time to upgrade both the interior and the exterior of your home for the new season! Brad Staggs, HGTVPro.com and DIY show producer and host, and a licensed contractor, offers five easy DIY projects perfect for any home. Safe Arbor: Garden structures add depth and character to any yard. Add a charming wood arbor to a quiet corner and create a special space perfect for enjoying nature. Run a pretty rose vine up the back for a fragrant, peaceful hideout. Sweet Dog Suite: That special four-pawed family member deserves a staycation, too! Build this exquisite dog house -- complete with columns and a window -- and you'll have a furry friend for life. Watch the other dogs drool with envy, especially when they find out this cool canine campout was in the August 2008 issue of Southern Living magazine. Southern Chalet Birdhouse: One part gracious Southern architecture, two parts sass -- and
Special Feature February 2011
ers and veggies. Plant soon for an early summer harvest, then again to enjoy the bounty of fall. Funky Storage Locker: Tired of tripping on baseball bats, slipping on skateboards and stumbling on
Remove any older shoots and leave between four and eight canes while removing any that are growing inward. When cutting them down, try to cut them to right around two feet above ground, and cut close to an inch above a bud or strong shoot. Evergreen shrubs. Evergreen shrubs won't flower, but they can be pruned after they have produced cones or shrubs. That typically occurs between late winter and early spring, so this can be done as the weather begins to warm up as part of your early season spring cleanup. Evergreen trees. In general, evergreen trees do not need to be pruned. It's generally obvious when an evergreen does need to be pruned, as the tree will be noticeably larger and in obvious need of pruning. Evergreens that do need to be pruned typically need it in late spring or early summer, and they will likely not grow much after a good pruning. Deciduous trees. Deciduous trees are generally only pruned for shaping. For those looking to shape, mid to late winter is the ideal time to do so. Deciduous shrubs. Mid to late spring is often the best time to prune deciduous shrubs. That's generally after they have flowered, and it will be obvious when they are in need or pruning, as they will likely have lots of unsightly branches evident to the naked eye.
5 easy DIY projects to upgrade your home
Creating a Southern Chalet Birdhouse is one easy DIY project for homeowners looking to add some aesthetic appeal to their property.
the perfect abode for the robins of spring. Let the children help out with the custom paint job! "Cut Above" Raised Garden Bed: Nothing smells as sweet or tastes as good as home-grown flow-
Homeowners typically spend lots of time caring for their property. Be it a modest ranch house or a mansion on top of a hill, a home's outside appearance is often a point of pride for homeowners. One commonly overlooked element of an aesthetically appealing home is the role trees can play. Trees can add an element of beauty to a yard while also playing a practical role, such as shading the grass from intense summer sun and acting as great support for hanging a hammock. While trees can add appeal to a homeowner's property, they can also be an eyesore if not properly pruned. Homeowners hoping to get the most out of their trees should consider some pruning guidelines. Fruit trees. If the buds on a fruit tree have already started swelling, you've waited too long too prune. In general, fruit trees are best pruned in late winter or early spring. When pruning, be sure to remove all branches growing inward as well as limbs growing straight up. Berry bushes. Berry bushes are typically pruned in late fall or early winter, once you have finished harvesting the berries. When pruning berry bushes, keep in mind the importance of shape with respect to a berry bush's aesthetic appeal. Rosebushes. Rosebushes are generally best pruned in late winter, with early spring the latest possible cutoff date.
soccer balls? Corral all the trappings of your life into a retro wooden locker designed to take anything the kids can dish out. A coat of whimsical paint and some creative stencil work might even get the
kids to clean up on their own! "There is an increased focus on real outdoor living, helped, of course, by the economy," says Brad. "We seem to be turning the corner of commercialism and recentering on the home, on the things that matter, on authenticity." As with any backyard DIY project, building product selection is important. For all of the above projects, Brad chooses pressure-treated Southern Pine. "It's a no-brainer to me: pressure-treated Southern Pine is real, it's genuine and it's a beautiful product. Add to that the natural, long-lasting, sturdy and safe elements, and you just can't go wrong. If you're conscious of your carbon footprint, then wood is your product; it's one of the only naturally renewable products out there, and it takes remarkably less energy to manufacture than alternative building products. It's the real thing for real families." To download free plans for these easy DIY projects, please visit www.spanpine.com.
Ask What Your Roof Can Do For You Replacing a roof is a major investment for any homeowner. When considering such a significant home improvement project, it makes sense that you will have questions. "Thoroughly researching roofing options should be a priority for any homeowner considering a new roof," says Tim Gentry, technical director of DaVinci Roofscapes(R). "Many aspects should be considered, including a product's warranty, style and durability. A homeowner should ask the question 'what will this roof do for me' before making a decision." According to Gentry, who served 20 years as a roofing installer and has been in the industry for 40 years, a roof should be carefully selected to complement a home's design and geographic weather conditions. It should also provide longsee ROOF, Page 6