A beautiful landscape starts in the fall

(ARA) - As the leaves start to turn, most homeowners put away their lawn and garden equipment as they wrap up landscaping projects before winter sets in. However, fall is actually a great time to start landscaping projects, because a beautiful lawn and garden next year start with preparations this fall.

Every year, a lot of time, money and effort is devoted to the pursuit of a beautiful and well-maintained home landscape. According to the 2006 American Time Use Survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Americans spend an average of two hours per

Gardening day on lawn and garden maintenance.

While a beautiful yard won't magically appear out of thin air, there are ways you can better utilize the time, money and energy you spend on maintenance. Keep these tips in mind when tackling the landscape for fall and winter.

* Rake and clean up leaves. If left scattered on the lawn, grass won't come up as well in the spring. Don't worry about removing leaves from plant beds; they actually help insulate and feed plants during the winter months.

* Clean out rain gutters and make sure water will flow away from walkways and driveways, which could ice over and become hazardous in the winter.

* Shut off water to all outdoor spigots to prevent pipes from freezing.

* Plant perennial flowers, ground covers, spring bulbs, trees and shrubs in early fall so they have time to establish strong and healthy roots. Some of the best sales on perennials are in August and September, when greenhouses are trying to close out their inventories.

* Mulch your plant beds, except iris rhizomes, which are prone to rotting. A layer of organic mulch will help roots get established before the ground freezes solid. Mulch also helps to retain soil moisture and prevent future weed growth.

* Find accessories or attachments that enhance the equipment you already own. Zero-turn mowers and ATVs have become versatile landscaping machines with the abundance of new attachments now available.

Take, for example, the SnowSport ATV Plow manufactured by Agri-Cover, Inc., a North Dakota truck accessory company. This utility plow is made specifically for ATVs and can be used 365 days a year not only for landscaping projects but also snow removal. With this type of plow, a homeowner can easily level, spread or push dirt, gravel and snow anytime of the year without worrying about the lawn because the plow is specifically designed to be turf-friendly.

Courtesy of ARA content