Learn How to Care For Evergreen Plants | NatureHills.com

Here are the Top 20 “Thriller” plants to adorn your front entrance this fall. Decorate them for the holiday season and enjoy them all winter long!

If your landscape has mature shade trees, faces north, or only receives direct sun a few hours a day, you're on the right blog post! Read on to discover how to design the perfect shade garden and fall in love with your low-light backyard again.

Think shade gardens are colorless and boring? Think again! A carefully planned full shade garden can be just as interesting as a sunny garden, with the added benefit of being enjoyably cool during warm summer days.

Garden design for shady spots can vary quite a bit, depending on the type of shade you have. You'll also need to understand the micro-climates found in your yard.

Types of Shade

Many of us struggle to grow a beautiful (but high maintenance) garden. Between work, family and other responsibilities, it’s simply hard to find the time.

Rather than let your garden fall by the wayside, consider making some small changes to save you time and hassle in the long run. Use these low maintenance landscaping tips, so you can spend more time enjoying your garden, and less time maintaining it.

Low Maintenance Landscaping Tips & Strategies

Use mulch

Mulch is a must-have for a successful, low maintenance garden. It looks great, and gives garden beds a nice, finished look, but it does so much more:

• Mulch helps prevent weeds
• Mulch acts like a blanket, insulating plants from extreme heat and cold
• Mulch keeps moisture i

LINK: https://www.naturehills.com/cooperative_extension

Nature Hills Horticultural Staff is always happy to assist you with your gardening questions and challenges. But sometimes, customers pose location-specific questions to us that we are unable to answer. We don't always have knowledge of the regional climate and soil conditions. We do not want to pass on incorrect information to you. In situations such as these, we always recommend the customer contact their local cooperative extension office.

The cooperative extension offices

These days, every region is becoming more aware of precious water resources. And, gardeners are busy people, so time is also something to carefully safeguard. Watch the video below to get the pros and cons of different techniques, and learn how to adjust automatic water systems as you need to. 

Water-Wise landscaping is here, and we don't think that philosophy is going away. This is true all across the country as people realize how expensive water bills are getting. Learn the finer details of using timer for watering plants and automatic watering system for plants. That means automatic sprinkler systems, too. 

Have a question? Email us at [email protected]!

Nature Hills offers a wide variety of plants that will effectively screen a view for you. But which is the RIGHT tree for you? Well, take a look at our "Top 5" selections to get a sense of what other homeowners have used very successfully.

Need More Help Deciding?

Email our plant experts at [email protected]. We'd love to learn more about your unique situation. What are your goals, and what characteristics does your property have? 

Privacy isn't always limited to fast-growing Evergreen tree selections, either. Flowering trees and shrubs

Low soil moisture, low precipitation and wild swings in temperatures can cause lots of problems for many landscape plants. Many established plants can be harmed, but newly planted plants are especially susceptible to winter damage. 

Remember, keeping your trees and shrubs stress free is the key to success. Healthy and vigorous plants can ward off insect and disease problems much easier than plants that are weak and stressed.

Protect Evergreen Trees and Shrubs from Winter Burn

Was it dry in your region last fall? In areas where very dry fall weather precedes winter, there can be problems like winter burn and desiccation to evergreen trees and shrubs. Dry soils going into winter can also cause root damage, which can affect the entire

Let’s face it: even with the magic of snowfall, the garden can look pretty boring in winter. It doesn’t have to be! Try planting some of these unique plants for winter garden beauty and color. (Bonus: many of these plants offer fabulous visual appeal during the other 3 seasons too!)

Benefits of a Winter Landscape

Gardening with winter in mind is tough when you’re surrounded by spring flowers! But planting for winter color and texture is well worth the forethought. Benefits of a winter garden include:

• Simply pretty. You’ll actually be inspired to look out your window during the winter.
• Wildlife-friendly. Many of these winter plants double as valuable food and shelter for backyard wildlife.
• Effortless. Unlike flashy summer flowers, a winter

• Some people prefer to contract with local landscapers for help. This is a great option but be sure to place your order early. The waiting lists are long and understand that you'll pay a premium for that convenience.
• Finding professional grade materials is another hassle. Some hobby and grocery stores carry limited selections, but you