(BPT) - As temperatures drop and seasons turn, that doesn’t mean you have to give up on the vivid blooms you love so much in your yard. Strategically adding seasonal plants that can withstand cooler weather is a great way to bring color and dimension to outdoor spaces, enhancing your curb appeal into the autumn months.
To educate and inspire, the plant and gardening experts at Ball Horticultural Company share simple tips, top trends and standout plants that are ideal for fall:
There’s no easier way to add autumn atmosphere to your entryway, walkways and flower boxes than with the warm hues of rich yellows and sunny oranges. Blooms in these colors convey happiness and warmth, making them beau tifully eye-catching. Some plants in these tones are especially attractive to bees and butterflies, helping create pollinator-friendly spaces.
For example, award-winning Echinacea Artisan Yellow Ombre is a native-type prairie plant that attracts songbirds, bees and butterflies throughout fall, and into winter. It’s drought tolerant and low maintenance, making it a no-brain er for colorful autumn gardens. Another great option as the weather cools is Achillea Milly Rock Yellow Terracotta. This perennial has a breathtaking golden-orange color that is perfect for fall because it is frost tolerant, plus it attracts pollinators while resisting hungry rabbits and deer.
While yellow and orange are quintessential fall colors, you can add an on-
trend element to your outdoor space with Spreading Pansy Cool Wave Blue. The stunning dark, moody blue hue plays nicely when combined with a jew el-toned autumn palette. It is also a standout choice by itself, reflecting the cooler weather, crisp air and clear night skies associated with the fall months. The vibrant shade of solid blue is beautiful in planters and hanging baskets, as well as in landscaping and window boxes. This sun-loving variety is a spreading pansy, meaning it can serve as great groundcover, as well. You can enjoy this pansy in fall, and with superior overwintering hardiness, it’s the earliest pansy to return in the spring.
Color is one important aspect of landscape design, but to really elevate your outdoor appeal, consider dimension as well. Creating variables in plants through shape and texture adds visual interest, bringing new depth to a space. To create this, mix florals with greenery and don’t be afraid of nontra ditional flower shapes.
The perfect example is Celosia, which features blooms in unique shapes such as plumes, spikes or wavy crests. You can create any outdoor aesthetic you desire with varieties available in yellow, orange, red and dark purple. Each adds texture and dimension, pairing well with mums and other popular autumn florals.
Whether it’s containers, window boxes or several strategic places in your landscaping, you can update your home for the fall season and boost your curb appeal with fall flowers. A dash of color and texture will help your home be a standout on the block.
Fireplaces are useful features in a home. Fireplaces are sources of ambient heat and also add style to indoor spaces.
Fireplaces can complement just about any interior style. Fireplaces can be traditional and burn wood or connect to a home’s natural gas supply for on-demand ambiance. What’s more, fireplaces may come in vented or vent less varieties, depending on homeowners’ preferences and what is allowed by community building codes. That means a chimney or flue may not be needed — expanding the list of rooms where a fireplace can be installed.
Certain trends have emerged among fireplace fans in recent years. Here’s a look at what’s getting consumers fired up about these home decor elements.
• Minimalist style: Many fireplaces are designed in neutral colors with minimal trim that directs focus on the fire and not the appliance. When the fireplace is not in use, it blends in with surroundings and will not compete for attention with other design elements.
• Convertible fireplaces: Homeowners can choose between open or sealed fireplaces. A convertible fireplace enables homeowners to have the best features of these options. A convertible fireplace can be converted to wood from gas, or the opposite, in as little as 30 minutes.
• Nature-inspired materials: Natural stone continues to be a material of choice in fireplace surrounds. Light colors work well for a fireplace, and also
fit with today’s lighter color interior design preferences. Natural stone also works perfectly with both contemporary and rustic decor.
• Vintage fireplaces: Vintage continues to be a buzzword in 2022, and the choice to go vintage also applies to fireplace styles. A room decorated in vintage elements can be complemented with a vintage fireplace or one designed to look vintage.
• Integrate into wall decor: Fireplaces that are built right into a wall save space. One can have a television and a fireplace on the same wall. These types of fireplaces work well in modern home designs. Other fireplaces may be built into bookshelves or other wall features.
Fireplaces can improve the appeal of a home. Various trends are popular this year, making fireplaces highly coveted features.
(BPT) - While home maintenance may seem pricey, being proactive about home upkeep can save more money by preventing expensive repair or replacement costs in the future. The hard part is knowing how often and what type of maintenance to do, and where to start.
1. Check your smoke detectors
According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), 96% of homes are now installed with smoke detectors. However, nearly 20% of them have non-working smoke alarms. The NIST estimates that if every home had working smoke alarms, deaths from U.S. residential fires could drop 36%. Why aren’t these smoke detec tors working? Primarily missing or dead batteries. Smoke detector batteries need to be replaced at least annually, not just when they chirp.
2. Trim your trees
Little known fact, you’re responsible for the dam age if a tree on your property falls on a neighbor’s house. Or if a dead branch damages your home, it can result in a homeowner’s insurance claim, meaning you have to pay the deductible. For peace of mind, trim the trees on your property every fall.
3. Check washing machine hoses
Did you know a washing machine hose holds 70 pounds of pressure? If it fails, it can spray 650 gal lons of water per hour into your home. So if you’re away for the weekend and a hose bursts, you may open the door to the equivalent of a 20-foot by 40-foot in-ground pool’s worth of water, which can damage floors, drywall and personal items. Hose maintenance is easy: Inspect the hot and cold washing machine supply lines monthly, looking for blisters, worn tubing, cracks or loose connections.
4. Conduct a generator safety check
A portable generator is handy equipment for when the power goes out, and regular mainte nance will ensure that it works when you need it. First, always unplug and turn off all power to the generator. Examine the AC wiring and alternator to clear dirt and debris. Inspect the air intake sys tem and replace the air filter. Oil in your generator needs to be changed every 25 hours of running, or one year unused. When you’re ready to use the generator, take it outside to a well-ventilated area before starting up. Generators produce carbon monoxide from the exhaust and can cause serious injury or death if used indoors, in a garage (includ ing with open doors) or even on a porch.
5. Maintain your HVAC
One of the most critical items to maintain is your heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. Regular maintenance helps keep the system in working order, extending the life of the system and saving on energy costs. According to HomeAdvisor, replacing an HVAC system costs from $5,000 to $10,000. To save money and ex tend the life of your system:
Take care of your home, so your home can shelter you and your family. These regular maintenance tasks will help reduce the likelihood of unpleasant surprises - and costs - to help give you peace of mind.
Modern
showcase many dazzling features, but perhaps none draw as much as instant attention as floor-to-ceiling windows. Often seen in high-rise apartments that boast panoramic city views, floor-to-ceiling windows also are right at home in single-family dwellings.
considering floor-to-ceiling windows may have lots of questions. The following rundown can provide some basic information that can help homeowners decide if floor-to-ceiling windows are right for their homes.
Cost is often the primary consideration when mulling a home renovation, and that’s even more significant as the world confronts the rising costs associated with inflation. The cost of installing floor-to-ceiling windows depends on a host of variables, including how many windows will be needed and where homeowners live. According to Modernize®, a service that facilitates connections between renovation-minded homeowners and local contractors, a floor-to-ceiling window wall costs somewhere between $700 to $1,600 per linear foot. Framing and glazing will add to those costs. Homeowners considering floor-to-ceiling windows are urged to receive several estimates for the project prior to choosing a contractor.
One of the more appealing aspects of floor-to-ceiling windows is all the natural light they allow in. Of course, all that light also can drive up energy costs on sunny summer days. One way around that is to install energy efficient windows. Such windows include extra insulation to prevent cool air from escaping the home on summer days, which can reduce the need to lower the thermostat on your air conditioning. A wall of glass also can provide less insulation against the cold. The extra insulation in energy efficient windows also helps keep warm air from escaping a home in the winter. Energy efficient windows may cost more than less efficient alternatives. However, over the long haul, a wall of less efficient floor-toceiling windows will likely cost more due to excess energy consumption.
It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the view floor-to-ceiling windows provide, especially in homes surrounded by serene natural settings like woods or properties that abut waterways. But that view outward also provides a view in, potentially compromising privacy. All that extra exposure to sunlight also can cause fabrics to fade over time. Floor-to-ceiling blinds and shades can protect homeowners’ privacy and reduce fading on furniture, but this extra feature will add to the final cost of the project. Smart window tinting is another way to improve privacy and reduce fading, but this feature also will drive up the cost.
Floor-to-ceiling windows can be awe-inspiring. Homeowners considering such windows for their homes are urged to do their homework to ensure their homes are well-suited to this unique feature.
Jaw-dropping features can sell a home in a heartbeat. A penthouse apart ment with floor-to-ceiling windows and a panoramic view of a city skyline likely won’t prove a hard sell, nor will a home with an infinity pool over looking a landscape of rolling hills. As awe-inspiring as such features can be, some more subtle components, such as authentic hardwood floors, also can do much to make a home more appealing to prospective buyers.
Hardwood flooring is a sought-after commodity. Data from the National As sociation of Realtors indicates that 54 percent of home buyers are willing to pay more for hardwood floors. In fact, NAR figures indicate that 28 percent of buyers between the ages of 35 and 54 consider hardwood floors “very important” when looking for a home. Homeowners who are considering sell ing their homes, or those who simply want to upgrade their existing flooring, may want to consider installing hardwood flooring. Though it’s a project best left to professionals, hardwood flooring can be installed by skilled DIYers. In such instances, homeowners may want to keep these dos and don’ts in mind.
DO hire a professional if you have limited or no DIY flooring experience. Hardwood flooring installation is not generally a project for novice DIYers. Hardwood flooring projects may present some common challenges, but no two homes are the same. So unless they have prior experience installing floors in multiple rooms or homes, homeowners may save themselves time, trouble and a significant amount of money hiring a professional to do the job.
DON’T ignore the subfloor. New hardwoods won’t erase the problem of subfloors in poor condition. According to the home renovation experts at BobVila.com, squeaky floors could be an indication that the subfloor has
begun to warp or twist. Sinking floors are another indicator of deteriorating subfloors. Subfloors should be somewhat level before new hardwoods are in stalled, so DIYers should inspect and address subfloor issues before installing new flooring.
DO expose wood flooring to the elements in your home prior to installa tion. The home improvement resource BuildDirect recommends acclimating hardwoods to the space where they will be installed. Skipping this important step could result in gaps during the winter and cupping over the summer. To acclimate hardwoods, open the boxes and spread them out for about a week while running the air conditioner or heater at normal levels. When storing hardwoods prior to installation, avoid keeping them in potentially moist areas like a basement.
DON’T skimp on tools. A DIY hardwood flooring installation might be less expensive than hiring a professional, but homeowners should resist any temptation to increase those savings further by purchasing less costly tools or fewer tools than is necessary to complete the job. BuildDirect notes that DIYers will need at least a miter saw, table saw, cleat-nailer or stapler, finish nailer, compressor, jamb saw, chalk line, nail set, and tape measurer when installing hardwood floors. Purchase all necessary tools and read product reviews to ensure each tool is up to the task.
Wood floors can be awe-inspiring. Some homeowners can install such floor ing on their own, and the project can be much easier if they learn as much about installation as possible prior to beginning the project.
Do-it-yourself devotees cite a desire to save money as their primary motivator when attempting DIY home improvements. A survey of more than 1,000 homeowners from the insurance provider Clovered found that 85 percent of respondents indicated a chance to save money as their top reason for attempting a DIY home improvement project. The chance to save money was an even greater motivator for homeowners than the opportunity to improve (79 percent) or repair (66 percent) their homes. Those savings can be significant because homeowners won’t have to pay labor costs, which the renovation experts at BobVila.com note can cost anywhere from $20 to $150 per hour per laborer. Though the cost savings of DIY can be hard to resist, homeowners considering a DIY renovation are urged to make an honest assessment of their skills before attempting a project on their own.
and summer are perhaps the busiest times of year for gardeners. However, fall also is a prime time to tend to gardens.
The tree and bare root retailer Bower & Branch advises that soil temperatures in many regions of the country may still be warm enough to en courage root growth well into the start of winter. Furthermore, fall is often the ideal time to plant, fertilize and keep a garden going or to get a head start on next year’s bounty.
are some tips to make the most of the fall gardening season.
• Think about fall annuals and bulb planting. Near the end of September, start planting cool-weath er-loving pansies and violas for pops of color as summer flowers fade. Also, it’s a good idea to stock up on bulbs that will bloom in the months to come before they sell out in stores. Wait until the temperatures really cool down before planting them in desired spots for spring sprouts.
• Sow salad seeds. Lettuce, spinach, radishes, and arugula tolerate cooler temperatures. Try new and interesting lettuce varieties and enjoy salads well into the fall season.
• Take inventory of the sun. Positioning a garden carefully means maximizing hours of sunlight, which begin to dwindle in the fall. Experts say gardens grow best in sunny locations that receive six hours of direct sunlight each day. This is where container gardens can be helpful, as they allow gardeners to move plants into spots that will get ample sunlight.
• Fill in landscaping gaps. Some fall plants can add color around the landscape and brighten up homes to add curb appeal. In addition to pansies and violas, asters, kale and chrysanthemums are fall blooms. Keep in mind that mums can come back year after year. So take them out of those flower pots and get them into the ground. They can be enjoyed next year as well, sprouting in early spring and developing leaves and buds through late summer.
• Clean up unwanted growth. Fall is an ideal time to cut back spent vegetable plants and get rid of errant weeds. Rather than bagging leaves, mow them with a grass catcher and then add the mix to a vegetable garden as an excellent soil insula tor. The nitrogen and carbon will fertilize the soil, enhancing growing possibilities and limiting weed growth.
• Propagate plants in the fall. As temperatures gradually begin to cool, start taking cuttings from perennials, gathering seed pods from azaleas and rhododendrons and dividing hardwood cuttings, says the resource Gardening Know How. Consult with a garden center or horticulturist on the proper ways to propagate stems using rooting hormone and other techniques.
• Continue to water plants. Water is essential in the fall and winter as roots can still be growing. Gradually reduce watering duration as plants go dormant. Fall planting and maintenance can extend gardening season and improve the chances of growing a healthy spring garden.
