Shade cloth is designed to shield you or your plants from the intensity of the sun, thus allowing you to control the heat gain in your greenhouse. For your arbor, it is great for blocking direct, glaring sun rays yet will still allow for perfect ventilation. In the winter, it is great for maintaining the desired heat level inside your greenhouse. I’ve even read that some folks have used shade cloth to cover their RV’s or to reduce heat buildup on stone or concrete patios.

Installing a shade cloth is very easy, and it’s low-maintenance compared to other forms of sun protection. Made of UV-resistant, high-density polypropylene plastic fabric, shade cloth is lightweight, flexible and very durable. It comes in a wide array of colors; black is ideal for maximum heat buildup protection.

To install shade cloth, grommets are placed along the edges of the cloth to ensure even distribution of strength to hold the fabric in place. If you place it outside your greenhouse, all you will need is a sturdy cord and stakes to anchor it down on the side of your greenhouse. You can also attach the cloth inside your greenhouse using tension or curtain rods, or you can tie off each grommet along the framing. This works great for arbors as well.

Having the option to control the heat intensity is a great additional feature to having a greenhouse or arbor. So, if you have invested in either, take the next step and install a shade cloth. It will definitely add another element to enjoying your outdoors.

I always recommend starting at the most typical place warm air escapes to the outside: your attic. Making sure you have adequate insulation is very important in keeping your home warm this winter. There are many types of extremely effective plastic foam insulation– spray polyurethane foam, polystyrene and polyiso panels, and more – that can save you a lot of money on those heating bills!

Another area where warm air escapes is your doors and windows. Just adding a simple bead of silicone plastic caulking around the inside and outside of their frames can greatly reduce the amount of warm air that slips away. Adding plastic foam sealant which expands to fill cracks (available in easy-to-use cans) or plastic weather stripping around the inside of the doorframe is yet another way to stop airflow.

If your doors or windows need to be replaced, modern vinyl plastic windows and patio doors are fairly inexpensive and do a great job of keeping cold air outside.

Another place where warm air escapes—but one you might not think of—is at your wall switches and outlets. You can purchase inexpensive plastic foam insulation sheets that fit tightly around the hardware when you remove the plate cover.

Another frequently overlooked place to seal up: around your water bibs outside. Sealing those gaps with a can of insulating plastic foam sealant can help keep the cold air out of your crawl space or basement. Also check the spot where your dryer vent exits to the exterior. You can apply more plastic sealant around the vent to ensure that no warm air finds its way out there.

So, as you can see, just a few simple things can really add up to great savings this winter. And let’s not forget, savings in the winter means savings in the summer, too!

If you’re cleaning out your summer flower and garden beds to plant pansies or winter veggies, it’s the perfect time to install landscape edging around the perimeter of your beds. Recycled-plastic landscape edging, which you can find at most home improvement or gardening store, is a great choice. I do, however, recommend you get the commercial grade since it is thicker and more durable. There is edging available that is 100 percent recycled post-consumer plastics (like milk jugs), and this edging is tough enough to stand up to Mother Nature and yard maintenance for years to come.

Why use landscape edging? Installing edging along walkways and driveways is the perfect way to prevent grass and weeds from encroaching across these areas. Edging around your flower or garden beds is an excellent way to give definition and distinction. It also aids in keeping your mulch in place and slows down water runoff, so your plants can get the water they need.

Installing recycled-plastic edging is a great DIY project that requires minimal tools to put in place. First you want to trench the area; you will be placing the edging no less than 6 inches deep. This will give your edging firm footing in the soil and will also allow you to cut through most of the roots that might try to grow inside your edged area. You can use a hoe or a tiller to create your trench. Next, place the edging in the trench, making sure that only the upper third of the edging is showing. You don’t want this to be too high. Edging sits low to the ground, so you could mow over it if needed. That’s why you dig about a 6-inch trench. Also, make sure you place the edging with the V-groove facing away from the lawn.

If your beds or edged areas are longer than the full length of the edging, you will need to get connector pieces to join the two edging sections together.  Since connector pieces are generally 8 to 10 inches long, I recommend that you split the difference for each side of the edging when sliding them into the connector section—say, 4 to 5 inches on each side—so they join right in the middle of the connector.

At the same time you purchase your edging, pick up some stakes.  Frost heaving will shoot that edging up and out of the trench if you don’t stake it down. As you stake down the sides of the edging, make sure the stakes are going into the sides of the trenched hole, not into the bottom of the trench. This will secure the edging better. You can space your stakes about 5 feet apart along the length of the edging.

As you stake, you can start backfilling the trench. With one hand, hold open the V-groove, and, with the other, backfill the dirt, ensuring it gets into the v-groove. This also will help hold the edging in place as the dirt compacts. You will have to compress the dirt as you go by stepping along the trench with your foot. Backfill with dirt as you compress it until you reach the top of the edging. Give it one final stomp to make sure it is compacted and shaped correctly to your bed or hard surfaces. You will also need to backfill the outer side of the edging as well.

Once your edging is in place, grab your garden hose and water the entire length of the edging. Water will help settle the loose soil. After moderate watering, if you still have low soil spots along the edging, use any excess soil to fill it in. Water again to compact the soil. If the edging is where you want it and at the desired height, and the soil is nicely compacted around it, you can call this project DONE!

Recycled-plastic landscape edging is a wonderful addition to your landscaping. The payoff for installing it will come back year after year. So now that the days are cooling off, install it now so there’s one less thing to do in the spring to get your plants off to a great start!

Outdoor area rugs are becoming the “go-to” piece to pull outdoor living areas together. Available in myriad colors and styles, they help define the space you want to create when relaxing or entertaining in your garden or backyard.

But all outdoor rugs aren’t the same.  Durability is a great benefit of plastic rugs.  I bought a polypropylene plastic outdoor rug last summer, and it still looks as great as the first day I put it on our porch.

Polypropylene, polyurethane, polyethylene and other plastic rugs are perfect for outdoor use since they’re weather resistant and moisture resistant. Quick to dry and mold and mildew resistant, these rugs are great for decks, patios, and porches. They are also very easy to clean. I have two dogs and two cats, so I have to clean a lot, but it’s a snap to clean a plastic rug.  I just plug my regular vacuum in the outdoor receptacle, and in no time my rug looks great.

They’re available in several sizes, making them a good choice for large or cozy spaces. You can find them at most improvement stores, but searching the web will turn up so many choices that you’ll have a hard time deciding which one to purchase. They’re so reasonably priced that you may decide to buy two!

Arbors and trellises come in a wide variety of styles and sizes, so you can choose the one that is right for your yard or garden. Some come with attached planter boxes for your plants, as well.

Vinyl plastic arbors and trellises are very popular these days because they are so low maintenance.  Many homeowners and gardeners alike choose vinyl because it is weather resistant, won’t peel or splinter, and can be cleaned with a garden hose to look new again.  Metal and wrought iron or metal can get so hot that vines and plants can scorch; vinyl stays much cooler in the hot summer sun.

Assembling a vinyl arbor or trellis is pretty straightforward. Usually the pieces slide and snap together to create a tight connection, while some are assembled using screws.

Installing arbors and trellises generally requires minimal tools. If your fixture is going into a grassy area, you may need posthole diggers. If you are attaching your arbor to a stone or concrete surface, you will need post holders that attach to the hard surface.

Once your arbor or trellis is in place, it is time to choose your plants. I have to admit, I love Winter Wisteria. It is such a rich, green color, and I love how the vines intertwine as they grow. Climbing roses are my next favorite — and roses just speak for themselves. And I like to create flowerbeds underneath the climbing plants.

Whatever plants you choose, installing a vinyl arbor or trellis is the perfect way to show off your green thumb for years to come and to add beauty to your garden or outdoor living space.

A container water garden is so easy to create and literally takes minutes to assemble. And there’s no digging required.

A plastic planter is the perfect choice to hold your water garden. They’re lightweight, durable and weather resistant. Plus, they come in so many designs and colors, the hardest part of the project will be deciding which planter to get!

What you’ll need:

-      A medium to large plastic planter

-      A small water pump and diffuser

-      Bricks

-      Water pond plants in plastic containers to be submerged under water at varying depths

Step 1: Place your planter in the desired location, making sure the plants you have chosen can receive the suggested level of sunlight.

Step 2: Assemble the pump and diffuser according to the manufacturer’s directions and place them in the bottom of the planter between two bricks for support.

Step 3: Place several plants that will be submerged the most (mine were submerged up to 6 inches) on top of the bricks towards the back of the planter.

Step 4: Now place another brick across the two lower bricks.

Step 5: Place two plants that will be submerged less (3 inches for mine) on top of this brick towards the front of the planter.

Step 6: Fill 3/4 of the planter with water. Make sure that the plants are submerged no deeper than the maximum suggested on their tags and that they are completely covered with water. You may have to place small pebbles in the plastic containers to keep them from floating or shifting.

Step 7: Plug in your pump, make any adjustments you would like to the placement of your plants … and enjoy!

Using a plastic planter is truly what makes this project easy. They generally are low maintenance, easy to move and can look like terra cotta or ceramic — but without the potential breakage and mildew. When cooler weather arrives, you can take down your water garden and store everything from the planter to the plants and do it all over again next summer!

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