The following article was submitted by Kristin Lucas, our landscape designer.
The rooms inside our homes provide useable, functional spaces. We have spaces for eating, spaces for relaxing, spaces for working, and spaces for sleeping. Whether these spaces are large or small, divided by walls or defined by furniture and rugs, they make our living easier.
Just like the rooms inside the home, outdoor space can be divided into functional, beautiful “rooms.” With some planning, even the tiniest yard can provide space for eating, entertaining, relaxing and recreation. Spaces can be clearly divided with hedges, garden beds or fences. Or they can be defined with different surface materials and furniture.
One of the best ways to define a space is with the creation of a patio. Like adding an area rug to a room, a patio defines a space. Unlike a rug, a patio can also provide many other great functions, such as:
Relaxing. A small patio close to the house is a great space for morning coffee or evening wine. It can become an intimate space for reading or conversation, or a small perch from which to enjoy a beautiful view.
Entertaining. Larger patios can provide solid surface for a dining table, a grill or outdoor kitchen, and seating. They can lend enough space for guests to mix and mingle comfortably. Read More
Today – it’s a rainy, dreary October day. It’s hard to think of doing anything outside. But stop. Now is the perfect time to get that landscaping project that you’ve had planned - completed. With the busy summer season behind, you can think about that “outdoor room” you’ve wanted, a new patio, just a few trees to provide shade for next summer – a perennial garden – whatever you want – created and installed now. By doing a landscape project yet this fall, you will be able to enjoy it from the get go next spring – not including enjoying it yet this fall and winter. Landscape contractors book up early in the spring so even with the best intentions – you might not be able to get a project started until part way through the season next year. Beat the rush and have it done now!
Winterberry. A shrub with glossy green leaves during the growing season. Produces berries. But wait — in late summer, these berries slowly start to turn color and by early fall – they’re red. When the leaves come down, you will see masses of bright red berries that light up the fall landscape. Best of all – they stay red into mid to late winter so when the snows come in December – (at holiday time, right?) – you will have this red bouncing off the white snow. Gorgeous.
Successful planting projects to improve your landscaping can take place throughout the Fall! Nights are growing longer, and days cooler which means reduced stress and moisture demands on new plantings.
One of the greatest August garden moments is when the hydrangeas start to bloom. There are so many different varieties of hydrangea shrubs – and then there are the wonderful hydrangea trees!
Among the many shade perennials that return each spring in the garden right outside our living room window, one of my favorites is only half my idea. Living in the woods means that we have to forego most of the sunny area perennials and pick from the varieties that do well in shadier conditions. The Golden Trollius is a perfect complement to the shade garden, with the bright yellow globe shaped flowers on stalks above the foliage. The first couple of years, the trollius would bloom in the spring – just like it should – and two years ago, it welcomed wild violets at the base. Last year, and now this year, the violets have expanded somewhat and now – it is awesome!! Mother Nature did her magic and the result is a beautiful addition to our perennial bed. 
One of the prettiest hosta in our collection is June. June presents hereself with a dense, medium-sized mound of gold-centered foliage and has a thick substance to the leaves. The mature height of a June hosta is 16″ and can go about 30-35″ wide. The blue-green margin that often streaks into the center turns a medium gold by mid-summer. The flower spikes bloom in late July through mid-August and are a pale bluish lavender. 
The phone rings and the person on the other end is asking, “What are those shrubs that are full of purple flowers right now?” The answer is one of the many varieties of Rhododendron. There are many varieties that are hardy in our area of Minnesota – ranging in color shades of violet, pink, red and even in white. Depending on the variety, the heights will range from 3′ to 7′. Many varieties will also provide you will some very pretty fall color as an added bonus. 
The last 2 to 3 weeks, your eye may have caught the lovely red blossoms of the Red Maples that are trying to make seed. Each spring when rubrum maples wake up, the first thing they do is push out their flowers and pollinating structures. This creates a beautiful red glow throughout the entire crown of the tree, and this year many trees displayed this impressive spring color phase for 2 to 3 weeks. Since some red maple varieties flower sooner than others, this color show can continue for much of the month of April all the way through the first week of May if several varieties are present. Some Red Maple varieties that have done well in our area are ‘Northwood’, ‘Autumn Spire’, Burgundy Belle’, ‘Red Sunset’, ‘Northfire’ and ‘Autumn Radiance’. ‘Redpoint’ is a promising new release. Red Maples prefer a slightly to strongly acidic soil, with adequate, but not excessive soil moisture.
Today we planted a new balled and burlapped Minnesota Hardy Redbud in Bridge Square along the river. We were hired by the Northfield Garden Club to plant this tree as part of their continuing contribution to the parks in the City of Northfield. Funds were also donated from the family of Vera Johansen toward a memorial tree which the Garden Club did put toward this beautiful Redbud. The photo on the left shows our landscape division manager, Jim Westlund, backfilling the soil in around the ball of the tree. 
The Redbud pictured here is located in the front yard of a home along St. Olaf Avenue here in Northfield. This will give you an idea of a more mature Redbud in bloom.
