Backyard
No-Ladder Gutter Cleaner This gutter cleaner is inexpensive, takes about 10 minutes to make and will help you avoid ladder climbing. Buy 3/4-in. PVC pipe, two elbows, a garden hose coupling and a cap at a local home center. Drill 1/16-in. holes in the cap as shown. Make the handle long enough to comfortably reach your gutters, and cement the parts together with PVC glue.
The Knock Out variety of roses lets gardeners of any skill level (and soil type) enjoy dazzling blooms. Knock Out roses can be planted individually, or as a colorful hedge. They bloom all summer long and well into fall with no special care. While they will perform best if pruned after the last frost, they’ll come back year after year, even if you don’t. If you do decide to cut them back for shaping purposes, do it any way you like—the plant won't mind! Available at Burpee.com; $18.95 for one plant.
Low, and slow growing, Indian hawthorn is the perfect shrub for sunny spots in your landscape. It has a naturally rounded growing habit, and so needs little pruning. Its attention-grabbing clusters of pink or white blooms, which give way each spring to blue berries that attract birds and other small wildlife. It is evergreen, to boot—meaning it will provide year-round interest to your garden. Available at Home Depot; $39.98.
MIGHT BE A GOOD MODEL TO CONCEIVE OF NEW BACKYARD
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