“Anyone who cares for a lawn or garden should have a rain gauge,” Anthony said. “You can’t go off weather reports because rain doesn’t fall evenly. An inch on one street may be less on the next one.” For more tips on maintaining a healthy lawn through the summer, visit aggieturf.tamu.edu/. PLANNING AHEAD Just because it’s too hot to get out and work in the garden doesn’t mean you can’t get ready for the fall planting season. In fact, Anthony said that having a plan before planting time comes will help your chances of having a successful garden. Texas AgriLife Extension started the Earth-Kind program to help people select the best landscaping option for their area. The Earth-Kind program focuses on landscaping that uses local or locally-adapted options that reduce environmental inputs such as water, fertilizers and pesticides. Doing so helps create beautiful landscapes that need less maintenance than those using non-native items. One of the Earth-Kind features Anthony especially enjoys is the Earth-Kind Roses program. These are roses specially chosen for not only their beauty, but for their hardiness as well. “Some people are hesitant to plan roses in their gardens because they think roses are fragile and need lots of attention,” Anthony said. “Knockout Roses, one of the Earth-Kind varieties, are very popular right now because they are beautiful and do not require much maintenance if planted properly.” For more information on the Earth-Kind program and Earth-Kind landscaping tips, visit aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/earthkind/.
AQUALIFT OF CENTRAL TEXAS
Root Barriers BEFORE: Trees drink the water from your foundation.
AFTER: Root wall installation.
Cracked driveways, buckled sidewalks, damaged home foundations and patios are the result of conflict between hardscapes such as asphalt and concrete, and tree roots. Aqualift of Central Texas provides/ installs root barriers for homeowners. This preventative measure is a must for trees that have aggressive roots feeding from the moisture under the foundation of the home. Each Root Barrier is designed specific by tree type, size and proximity to the home. Barriers can allow trees to flourish and not intrude on the moisture of the support soil. There are plants that also rob moisture from the soils.
www.slabdoctor.com 979-574-6523 The Eagle www.theeagle.com
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