yard

Keeping critters out of your yard

Many homeowners want their backyards to serve as sanctuaries. However, some may be sharing their relaxing backyard domains with uninvited guests. From racoons checking out trash cans to deer munching on prized flowers to squirrels raiding the bird feeders, unwanted wildlife can transform a normally...

Areas where insects may gather in your yard

Outdoor entertaining is a big part of life when the weather warms up. An afternoon and evening spent enjoying warm weather in the backyard is the ideal for millions of people come summertime. An idyllic day entertaining outdoors can be compromised by insects. Biting insects may drive some people...

Prepare a yard for evening entertaining

Even when the sun goes down, the opportunity to entertain outdoors is still possible. Transforming a backyard into an evening oasis does not necessarily require major renovations, but it should involve adjusting the atmosphere to facilitate comfort and visibility. The following tips can help hosts...

Potential threats to pet health in your own yard

Homes are often characterized as sanctuaries for their residents. Though such characterizations often are made in reference to humans and their domiciles, homes also should be safe spaces for pets. Pet owners go to great lengths to ensure their pets are healthy and happy, and that typically...

Yard and garden checklist - November

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Continue to water trees and shrubs until the ground freezes. Even this late in the season, there are still things you can do to prepare your lawns and gardens to manage the winter and emerge healthier next spring. Late fall gardening...

What's digging up your yard?

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu While vertebrates are doing the most visible damage, the white grubs they’re after are the root of the problem. In some Minnesota lawns, instead of the grass greening up, the grass is being torn up. People are reporting lawns ripped up...

Tips to make a yard less attractive to ticks

Backyards are ideal places to spend warm afternoons soaking up some sun. Lazy days in the yard are a big part of what makes warm weather seasons like spring and summer so appealing. But those afternoons can quickly go off the rails when an unwelcome visitor makes its presence known. Ticks can be...

New shrub pruning videos and weed information

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Shrub pruning videos series Extension Yard and Garden has a new series of shrub pruning videos on our Trees and shrubs webpage to help you with your seasonal pruning. Pruning can be both scary and really satisfying, and we want to help....

Fall yard and garden checklist

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Warm-weather plants like jasmine should be brought indoors before temperatures fall below 50 degrees. Friends in the northern part of the state may see snowflakes or wintry mix drizzle soon and temperatures are in the 30s and even 20s...

Turn your yard into a vacation-worthy oasis

Warm weather means more time to relax outdoors. For those homeowners lucky enough to have entertaining spaces outside, spring and summer provides plenty of opportunities to enjoy fresh air under the sun or stars. Over the last few years, families have become especially familiar with what works...