2023 Fall Home Improvement

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BY SARAH COLBURN | STAFF WRITER

Finding the perfect perennial to plant in the ground this time of year can take a bit of investigative work but can bring rewards in the years to come.

Adam Hjelm, the education coordinator for the Sauk River Watershed District, said after a long, hot summer of greenhouse and garden center watering, it is important to know what condition plants are in.

“Don’t look at the top of the plant,” Hjelm said. “Slide them out of the pot and see what the roots are like. You’re looking for green and solid not moldy or mushy.”

Now that the temperatures have cooled off, Hjelm said it is the perfect time to plant perennials.

“A lot of those greenhouses right now are going to have pretty good sales,” Hjelm said.

The placement of perennials is key. The tag on the plant will guide the gardener on its best placement, so Hjelm encourages people to buy a plant for a specific placement in the yard.

Native perennials, those that are Minnesota hardy and grow well in this climate will be marked with a two-word scientific name.

“A lot of times those natives have lots of info and say grown in Minnesota and Minnesota native,” Hjelm said. “Some of those hybrids just don’t make it.”

Perennials page 4

kids and adults on Bethlehem Lutheran Church’s restored prairie area.

PHOTO COURTESY ADOBE STOCK

Perennials from page 4

Adam Hjelm, of the Sauk River

Watershed District, recommends the following websites:

— Minnesota Wildflowers features images and information on more than 1,700 plants, trees, shrubs, grasses and sedges native to Minnesota. Visit www.minnesotawildflowers.info.

— The University of Minnesota Extension has tips for care, planting and choosing plants. Visit https://extension.umn.edu/findplants/native-plants.

PHOTO S COURTE S Y OF ADAM HJELM

(Left) A butterfly and bee land on a purple coneflower. Coneflowers are native perennials that grow well in Minnesota. (Right) Butterflies flock to a cup plant. Cup plants, and other native perennials, attract pollinators. Native perennials are typically drought tolerant.

Outdoor living spaces remain popular

When it comes to composite decking choices, he said the movement to darker, bolder siding colors is triggering a similar trend in decking. However, he said, homeowners may choose a lighter complimentary shade for their decking

to avoid bringing too much heat to their outdoor space.

“There are a lot of new color choices,” Schwieters said. “More of the gray tones are in right now. (There is) really such a wide variety of products out there as far as composite decking.”

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Decks from page 7

Roughly 80% of the customers working to build decks with the help of Kraemer Lumber are opting for composite.

“It’s definitely a cost difference, but again, it comes down to that maintenance,” he said. The company offers computer-aided design services with the help of their staff. Customers can opt to add in everything from tables and chairs to seating/entertaining areas and outdoor kitchen areas to help plan for the size of their projects.

“Everything here is custom-designed by us and the homeowner,” Schwieters said. “Decks aren’t getting any smaller.”

They work together to look at materials options for everything from the ground up. Customers, he said, are working to create their perfect oasis in their own yard. That trend was accelerated during the coronavirus pandemic.

“As people were stuck at home and weren’t travelling as much, they were working to make their homes more livable,” he said. “That becomes a little more important if they’re not going out as much.”

Kraemer Lumber Co Inc. is able to incorporate and price out a number of on-trend designs, styles and potential material choices for customers.

“(Homeowners) want to be able to have a view,” he said. The company can also work with customers looking to improve or replace an existing deck. The most important part of the planning process, Schwieters said, is understanding the intent of how the deck or patio will be used in the future so that space can be planned to accommodate all the desires of the homeowner. As more patio homes hit the market, Schwieters said, there is a great demand for concrete products to provide ground-level patio spaces. Pavers, stamped concrete and colored concrete are in high demand, he said. Then, because customers are saving on the cost of a railing and steps, he said, many are opting to enclose a part of the patio with a roof or screened area.

“As people were stuck at home and weren’t traveling as much, they were working to make their homes more livable. That becomes a little more important if they’re not going out as much.”

“Some people are incorporating (enclosures) just off the house to make it a more useable space,” he said.

Patios with roofs, he said, cut down on the heat, especially in outdoor living areas with southern exposure. Additionally, the screening keeps out the bugs.

Along with the covered or screened porches/patios, Schwieters said, outdoor kitchens are still on trend. Customers are adding fireplaces and full kitchens to their outdoor seating areas to extend their Minnesota seasons.

“As the nights get cooler, they turn on an actual gas fireplace or wood fireplace,” he said. “It’s a multi-use space.”

Customers can chose to add in tables, chairs or fireplaces when designing their patio with Kraemer Lumber Co Inc. Decks and patios are getting more popular as families are looking to create a perfect outdoor oasis for entertaining family and friends.

Kraemer Lumber Co. Inc. help clients design their outdoor living space. Many consumers are looking for outdoor living spaces that incorporate an entertaining area, an outdoor kitchen area and a dining area.

Composite decking materials come in a vast array of colors, and there’s a diverse selection of railing materials as well. This display area at Kraemer Lumber Co. Inc. in Melrose gives customers a view of some of the options available.

tite, stainless-steel-wire style, especially in lake and country settings.

– Mark Schwieters

We Handle Garbage Electronics

Time to bring houseplants back inside

As fall temperatures begin to cool, it is time to consider bringing in the houseplants you kept outside this summer.

Many houseplants thrive outdoors during Minnesota’s summers but do not perform well or may even die if exposed to chilly temperatures. Depending on the species, temperatures dipping below 45-50 degrees Fahrenheit can cause damage.

Here are some things to consider before you bring your houseplants back indoors.

Inspect and treat your plants for pests

Aphids, mealybugs, white flies and other pests aren’t usually a problem when potted indoor plants are outside, but they can quickly turn into a major infestation during the winter if they are brought inside with the plants.

Some experts recommend bathing or soaking plants in a bucket of water with mild dishwashing soap before bringing them inside.

If your plants are too big for the bucket treatment, spray them with water to remove outdoor dust and soft-bodied insects from the leaves.

Next, wash the top and undersides of the leaves with water and dishwashing soap, and then rinse with water.

It is important that the soapy water also gets into the soil as it will help to kill any pests living there, too.

Once inside, check them with each watering for any sign of infestation and, if spotted, treat with an insecticidal soap until the problem is resolved. Wash the outside of the pots to remove dirt and any unwanted pests that might be present.

Prune, separate or repot if needed

Some plants may have outgrown their pots and need something larger. Others may be too large for the indoor space and need to be pruned, separated, or even propagated to start a new plant.

Gradually reintroduce to the indoors

Just like hardening off your new seedlings, your houseplants may undergo shock if abruptly brought from outdoor conditions to indoors. This may result in yellow leaves, wilt, dieback or even death.

Take it slow, and let them get acclimated to the indoors again a little at a time.

Put plants in a sunny location

Most likely your plant was exposed to a lot of sun outdoors. To get it used to being back inside, temporarily put it in a very sunny window and gradually reduce its sun exposure before moving it to a less sunny location. Make new plants for next year

Geraniums, coleus, begonias and impatiens can be propagated by using cuttings to generate a new crop for next summer.

Cuttings should be approximately 4 inches long and be taken from vigorous, healthy plants.

By University of Minnesota Extension

PHOTOS COURTESY ADOBE STO C K

BY SARAH COLBURN |

After a summer filled with hot, dry spells, Kristy Flowers of Kristy K Organics has some advice for homeowners tending to their flower and vegetable beds in preparation for the changing seasons.

Flowers has been playing in the soil and thinking about worms, living microorganisms and creatures since she was small. Now, as manager and founder of Kristy K Organics, she is encouraging others to do the same.

As fall begins, she encourages landowners to think about compost and mulch as a maintenance tool for retaining and/ or creating good soil health. She said she tends to mulch in the spring, but there are lots of people who mulch every spring and fall.

“The old timers will tell you to mulch

in the fall right after the first freeze,” Flowers said. “It keeps your ground at a really good temperature, and then next spring you’ll have better luck.”

For her, it’s more of a personal preference though she is adamant that mulch, no matter when it’s applied, provides an important layer of insulation for plants and soil. Adding the mulch after first freeze, she said, ensures the temperature of the soil isn’t too warm. If the soil is too warm, she said, plants can be tricked into thinking its spring in deep fall and start to regrow.

Before mulching, Flowers recommends laying down a fresh layer of com-

post to give the plants a jump start for the next season.

“It helps build up the soil,” she said. “It brings back your organic material which you need for all your microbes.”

Additionally, she said the compost will help retain water better than sand but also lets water pass through better than clay. For her, laying down truly organic compost is important. Compost that comes from residential yard clippings, she said, could contain pesticides and weed killer.

STAFF WRITER

“My parents taught me that you’ve gotta take care of the soil and the water because that’s what takes care of you,”

– Kristy Flowers

Kristy K page 13

Kristy

K from page 12

“My parents taught me that you’ve gotta take care of the soil and the water because that’s what takes care of you,” Flowers said. “My husband’s family was the same way.”

Her husband Jim and her son Max create the compost available through Kristy K Organics.

She recommends putting down an inch of compost once it is cool enough at night to break out sweatshirts. The compost can be added to perennial beds as well.

Then, she said, it’s important to put down

another layer in the spring.

“That gives it a good base,” Flowers said. “You feed those microbes and get all healthy soil again.”

Compacted soil, she said, isn’t healthy soil.

Flowers uses the mulch as a natural weed barrier. Her company offers different varieties, and she encourages consumers to opt for mulch that allows water through.

“You gotta think of soil as skin; it’s gotta breathe,” she said.

Shredded wood mulch, she said, locks together and won’t blow away on a windy day but allows the rain to come through and the soil

We have the PERFECT color!

to breathe. Her company doesn’t carry colored mulch because she hasn’t found a dyed mulch option that’s organic.

“You want to be all natural around your plants that you’re going to grow vegetables on,” she said.

Mulches made from soft woods like aspens and poplars, she said, have a nice look to them while pine can provide a good surrounding for plants that like acidity.

Kristy K page 14

PHOTO BY TIFFANY KLAPHAKE

Pathways at the Sauk Centre Community Garden are lined with mulch from Kristy K Organics. Kristy Flowers, founder of the company, said mulch acts as a natural weed barrier, provides insulation for tough winters and helps retain moisture during the hot summer months.

Topdressing your lawn with 1/4” thick layer of Kristy K Organics compost helps feed the microorganisms that keep your lawn healthy and beautiful.

Help your backyard become the talk of the town. Improve soil fertility while providing efficient nutrition with Organic Chicken Manure Pellets.

The added source of energy contributes to the root system of the lawn during the dormant winter season. Adding compost will help decompose thatch, making it a healthier environment.

An increase in natural organic matter reduces the need for water, decreases weed and insect pressure, and removes the need for dangerous synthetic fertilizers or pesticides.

– Apply compost in the fall or spring. This will give the compost time to break down and improve the soil before the plants grow.

– Apply a 1- to 2-inch layer of compost. This is the optimal depth for most plants.

– Mulch around trees and shrubs, but don’t let the mulch touch the trunk. This will help to prevent the trunk from rotting.

– Mulch around perennial flowers and vegetable plants. This will help to suppress weeds and retain moisture.

– When growing plants from seed, leave a small area of ground uncovered by mulch. This will allow the seedlings to germinate.

PHOTO BY TIFFANY KLAPHAKE

Gardeners at the Sauk Centre Community Garden use mulch and compost from Kristy K Organics. Kristy Flowers, founder of the company, encourages gardeners to lay down a 1- to 2-inch layer of compost in their gardens for optimal soil health.

Getting ready to

BY SARAH COLBURN STAFF WRITER

As the cool air sets in, experts say there are a few necessary steps to take before lighting up the fireplace to take the chill out of the air.

“Just like your furnace … anything that’s gas or involves gas should be gone through and serviced yearly,” said Jerry Aaberg, manager of The Fireplace Store in Alexandria.

The Fireplace Store is a division of Ellingson Plumbing, Heating, A/C & Electrical, and Aaberg said safety is a top priority with fireplaces.

If a gas fireplace develops a crack in the burner, it can cause too much flame to come out of one area, and an improperly working burner can lead to soot inside the glass.

Wood-burning fireplaces can build up creosote over time, which can ignite in the chimney. Chimneys can also provide a summer home to critters, and the buildup of their comfortable nests can block proper airflow to the fireplace.

“It should be inspected before each burn season,” Aaberg said.

Gas fireplaces:

Having a gas fireplace inspected is just part of routine homeowner maintenance,

Aaberg said.

A professional will check to make sure all aspects of the fireplace are working properly, not only to ensure efficient burning, but also to prevent safety hazards.

The glass on a gas fireplace, he said, should be cleaned once a month if the unit is used regularly.

“You have to eliminate the white film from the sulfur and the gas, and once it’s on there too long, it etches the glass,” Aaberg said.

Fireplace page 18

Septic Pumping and Maintenance

Fireplace

from page 18

“Overall, from 20 years ago, there’s really no comparison to what the new ones look like today,” Aaberg said.

Removing and replacing a gas fireplace unit can range from $7,000 to $12,000 for a mantle, surround and fireplace box.

Wood burning fireplaces:

Wood burning fireplaces, Aaberg said, should be cleaned once a year at a minimum, and the homeowner should inspect the chimney once a month to make sure there is no buildup of creosote.

“If you’re burning two or three times a year, it’s not a big deal, but if you’re burning with wood to heat your home, you should be looking at that fairly regularly,” he said.

Creosote produces a shiny sheen and eventually can ignite and lead to a chimney fire, he said.

A professional chimney sweep can look down the interior of the chimney and see what kind of condition it is in and make recommendations. Additionally,

Aaberg said, they may offer regular maintenance plans.

The fuel source a homeowner burns can impact how quickly the chimney will need to be cleaned again.

“It all depends on your fuel and your equipment,” Aaberg said. “The

biggest thing is to burn good, dry wood.”

Even marginally wet wood, he said, can have issues. Damp wood doesn’t produce the same amount of heat as dry wood, and that lower temperature in the fire box can contribute to the buildup of creosote.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF LAKE & HOME MAGAZINE VIA THE FIREPLACE STORE

Andy Braatz (left) and Jerry Aaberg, of The Fireplace Store, show the company’s electric fireplace display. Fireplaces can come in many styles, colors and options.

A Heat & Glo 6000 CLX gas fireplace adds a bit of coziness to this finished room. All fireplaces should be routinely checked for maintaince.

Even a small fireplace can add a dramatic touch to any room. Newer fireplaces can be controlled via Wi-Fi or from a smart phone.

The magic oF MuRaLs MuRaLs oF MuRaLs

BY SARAH COLBURN | STAFF WRITER

From cows and barnyards to motorcycles, nature scenes and flowers, Lindsay Herdering has painted it all.

The founder of Antlers & Ivy Artistry has been providing wall murals for customers for two years and does custom canvas work as well, replicating cherished photographs on canvas.

“I want the room to come together with the help of my work,” Herdering said. “If it’s an exterior piece, I want to give your business or your farm that much more charm.”

Some clients call Herdering with a specific image or scene in mind, and others just know they want to customize a space. With her custom canvas work, she’s painted generational farms that have sentimental value, a prized goat and dogs that have died.

“It’s gotta be something that matters to them,” she said.

When customers don’t know just what they want, Herdering does a consultation on site, taking into account the owner’s décor and style.

“If it’s an interior, I want to make

sure they have a color palette that works in the room,” she said.

She painted a mural for a client who had a specific color of pink cabinets in her office and wanted dahlias in the room. Herdering got the color swatch for the cabinets and created a palette around it so that the primary color of the dahlias complemented the existing colors in the room.

Murals page 24

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(Above) Lindsay Herdering creates interior and exterior murals and also does custom canvas work for clients. She works with each client to create the perfect complement to a space. (Left) Lindsay Herdering creates custom canvas work for clients. She can work from a photograph of a favorite animal or landscape to bring the image to life on canvas.

Interior murals can be painted directly on walls or furniture while exterior murals can be painted directly on the exterior surface or on a wooden surface that can be mounted on an exterior. When it comes to custom canvas work, Herdering said she can work on a small or larger scale. She’s even created an image on a sawblade for a client.

“I like being able to give somebody a memory that they can hold, something they can feel, something they can look at,” she said. “Art makes people feel a little deeper.

People have an attachment to art. Never buy art you don’t love.”

She encourages potential customers to think about the scale of the piece they’d like to create. The timeline, she said, is also important. Some work can be completed in a series of days while other largescale projects can take a few weeks. And, exterior work directly on a building façade is weather dependent.

Herdering doesn’t charge by the hour; she charges by the piece so that she can complete the work in a way that brings her personal satisfaction.

It is important for clients to envision a budget for the project so that she has an idea of what she might be able to provide.

Then, when it comes

to subject matter, it’s up to the client.

When Herdering is working on custom pieces, she works toward realism, trying to get as much detail into the painting as she can. In other cases, when clients have an inkling of what they want but not a fullblown idea, she said she

can work from her head.

“When somebody says, ‘Just do what you feel,’ I really like that type of work too because I can let my creative flag fly and add little touches and let my style shine through more,” she said.

Herdering first began painting in high school art class in Albany with

Jon Noreen and eventually painted little canvases in her room. As an adult, she began painting them for her own house, and when people started to inquire about her work, her business took off by word of mouth.

Now, Herdering said,

she takes it as a personal challenge to help her clients.

“I like hearing crazy ideas the client might have,” she said. “I want to challenge myself to make their crazy ideas come to life.”

PHOTOS SUBMITTED

Lindsay Herdering created an exterior wall mural for Sunny Mary Meadows. Herdering works to provide a look for each client that expresses the charm or uniqueness of the business.

Lindsay Herdering created a wall mural that complements the pink cabinets in this space. Herdering works with each client to create a color palette so that the mural will complement the space.

This custom-designed saw blade combined two images, a landscape and a motorcycle with sentimental value. Lindsay Herdering works toward realism in creating custom canvas work for clients and can paint on a variety of mediums.

like hearing crazy ideas the client might have. I want to challenge myself to make their crazy ideas come

– Lindsay Herdering

Katie Drewitz at the University of Minnesota Extension offers these tips for fall lawn care:

• Late August and September are the best times to plant grass seed. The seed will germinate readily, and the cooler soil will encourage the development of a good root system. Be sure to water grass seed on a regular basis to encourage good germination.

• Be cautious of seed mixtures that contain a high number of annual seeds as those plants will not survive the winter.

• Fall is the best time to control perennial broad-leaf weeds such as common dandelion, creeping Charlie and plantain. Be sure to do a lawn assessment prior to deciding if treatment is needed. Perennial weeds move the sugars produced in the leaves to underground roots or rhizomes for the winter. This movement of sugars continues as long as the plants are not killed by frost and 50%-75% of their leaves are still green and actively growing. Herbicides that are systemic and move within the plant are carried with the sugars to effectively kill the plants at the root in the fall. Although the death of weeds may not be obvious in the fall, most of them will not come back next spring. Spot spraying or hand-pulling is generally better than applying herbicide to the entire lawn. Take caution when using chemicals and always read and follow the label.

• Consider aerating and dethatching your lawn. Compacted soils and soils with poor drainage accumulate thatch faster than well-drained soils. Aerating promotes better moisture and air penetration into compacted soils and helps establish a deeper and healthier root system while stimulating the microbial activity involved in decomposing the thatch layer.

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Architectural shingles come in a wide variety of colors to fit today’s homes. Shingle colors change in harmony with trends in siding colors, and as consumers opt for darker exteriors, shingles are available to complement the look.

Exterior matters

BY SARAH COLBURN | STAFF WRITER

As weather events increase in severity, John Muller of Scotty’s Exteriors and SB Restoration Services said some customers are looking for tougher, stronger roofing materials.

“Because of the

storms and things that have changed in the last four or five years, some people had their roofs replaced twice in the last eight years,” Muller said. He and Jeff Schneider, co-owner of Scotty’s Exteriors, have some customers searching for

category four shingles, a product he said is built to withstand harsher weather conditions and is considered impact resistant. However, he also said, in his experience, when customers realize the extra cost and reduced color/material selection, they opt for something different.

Leading the market, Muller said, is the 50-year architectural shingle. The product comes in a multitude of colors and styles. But, to stay on trend, customers are mixing it up.

“Depending on how old (the customer is), it could be the last shingle they put on their roof,”

Muller said. To keep the look fresh, he said, clients are combining a couple different materials on a roof. They may put a 50-year architectural shingle on the roof but then add a standing seam steel roof on a dormer, roof line, or slope.

“It adds character,” Muller said. “It makes it a little unique, maybe tells a little bit of the homeowner’s taste and personality.”He said roofing trends are following other trends in exteriors, like siding. As siding trends toward deeper, darker colors, he said, a lighter roofing material can soften up the look of a house a bit.

Muller said it is a balance as homeowners strive for uniqueness while creating a cohesive look of different colors,

textures and materials.

“It does become challenging with us a little bit because they’re relying on us to tell them if they’re making the right decision or not,” he said. The company offers an app where they can load an image of the client’s home and the client can play with different colors and styles, manipulating the image.

It

“They can get a visual on it, and that really helps,” Muller said. “You don’t want to overdo it.”

The type and color of a shingle can also impact the heating and cooling of a home.

Muller said Minnesotans have a special quandary. A lighter-colored shingle will keep an

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“It adds character.

makes it a little unique, maybe tells a little bit of the homeowner’s taste and personality.”

– John Muller

Exterior from page 28

attic space cooler while a darker shingle in the winter can aide in snow melt as the sun beats down.

“There are so many choices and so many manufacturers,” Muller said. “Most of the shingles have reflective qualities no matter what color they are.”

Additionally, he said, companies have started using more synthetic underlayment or dry

goods.

“It lets the attic breathe better, and the synthetic is a much stronger material fabric,” he said.

Once professionals tear off a roof and put the synthetic material on the house, he said, it becomes waterproof.

“This fabric protects it and saves losses if a potential storm comes in while the shingles are changed out,” he said.

Customers looking for something beyond the architectural shingle often look into steel shingles. The shingles, he said, with

the rising cost of construction and the cost of raw steel, are double the price of architectural shingles.

Steel shingles come in a variety of styles, shapes and forms, everything from those that look like slate to some that are finished with asphalt-like granules.

“They’re (typically on) a little higher-end houses but it’s a very expensive product,” he said. “People have interest, but once we quote it, they go back to the architectural shingle.”

PHOTO COURTESY ADOBE STOCK