Beginning and seasoned gardeners alike revel in scattering seeds in fall, anticipating the beautiful blooms that await them not just next spring but throughout growing seasons for years to come. Wildflowers nearly take care of themselves, allowing gardeners to sit back, relax, and enjoy the seemingly endless bounty of continuous blooms. Soil preparation, the appropriate mix of seeds and adequate spring water are the only ingredients needed to create a wildflower bed or meadow of your own, so set aside a space in your garden, let your hair down, and take a walk on the wild side. Summit County wildflower gardens are absolutely gorgeous and require surprisingly little effort to create and maint

Fall landscape care checklist: 1. Fertilize lawn 2. Remove annuals 3. Cutback perennials 4. Mulch garden beds 5. Water shrubs and trees 6. Protect delicate shrubs 7. Rake leaves 8. Blow out irrigation systems SUMMIT COUNTY – Summer is over, but there’s still a lot to do to prepare your yard for winter. Your to-do list should include tasks for your lawn, garden, shrubs and trees. Begin by fertilizing your lawn soon, if you haven’t already done so this fall. Natural fertilizers are particularly beneficial at this time of year. Not only do they release nutrients into the ground slowly, improving the health of your soil, they should also increase your lawn’s hardiness and accelerate spring green

Summer is coming to a close, with autumn -- and its frost and early season snows -- hovering close by. But that doesn’t mean it’s time to walk away from your garden. While many blooms have faded and others will wilt with the first frost, there are a variety of annuals and perennials you can plant that will continue to flower into the cooler season. Add some shrubs known for their autumn color to complement your garden’s late-season blooms. A number of our favorite annuals and container plants -- such as marigolds, petunias and geraniums -- won’t tolerate frost. But pansies and violas are hardy plants whose blooms are ever vibrant through the early frosts and first few snows. Deadhead these f