Seven steps to a hassle free garden

When juggling the demands of summer, it's easy to decide that mowing your lawn every other week is as good as your yard is going to get. But you don't have to sacrifice your home landscaping needs to summer's craze. These 7 easy tips from our Lawn and Garden Specialist, Kathy Jennings, will brighten the yard with little effort.

1. Use decorative containers to create a low maintenance garden.

2. Plant more perennials. They go on sale at the end of gardening season, and require less effort in the next year.

3. Incorporate more flowering shrubs in your garden. These plants also go on sale at the end of the season, and are fairly low maintenance.

4. Use drought resistant or native plants. These plants only need to be watered until they are "established." After that, they are hardy as long as their basic soil and sun.

5. Plant with deliberation. Some plants need lots of sun. Others need more shade. Planting them so that each is in an ideal location will cut down on the work you put in, and it makes your plants healthier.

6. Install a drip irrigation system for watering. The water is better used by the plants and it cuts down on the amount of water that is used.

7. Make an appointment with Kathy to discuss your gardening needs. She's happy to connect you to the perfect Lawn and Garden books, DVDs and magazines to turn your backyard from "oh-boy" to "oh-yeah!"

For more tips about gardening, come to the Xeriscaping event at the library on July 21 at 7 pm. The library's partners, the Shawnee County Extension Master Gardeners, will be giving us free professional advice on how to grow a garden while conserving water.