DIY Network

Brenda Homan, Carl Horsley: Their Plan, Costs and Products From "Garden Sense" episode DGAR-201

Meet Brenda Homan. She is single and lives on the second story of a 1954 two-family. She closes mortgage loans. Her landlord, Carl Horsley, is a Realtor who lives on the first level.

Brenda is energetic and wants to spruce up the yard because it is devoid of color and plants. She's looking for colorful flowers in beds located in the front of the home. Carl is a fanatic about the lawn, which is in good shape, but he doesn't have a green thumb. He's not a big fan of change and is concerned that changes might require too much work.

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Brenda thinks window boxes would be pretty for her second-story windows and would spruce up the outside. Carl thinks low-maintenance shrubs might be good under his first-floor windows He also wants to talk to Walter about caring for the lawn - the two will tackle and solve a lawn problem.

Brenda and Carl are really good friends and refer to each other as the 'upstairs sista' and the 'downstairs bro.'

Gardening Transformation

Before

After

Project Timeline

The Color for Odd Couples project took Walter, Brenda and Carl one day.

Project Details

• Low maintenance perennials and shrubs with colorful foliage and flowers were chosen to provide interest and color while, at the same time, to give Carl less work.
  
• All low-maintenance plant materials were chosen- all designed to be easy care. They thrive in full sun, poor or rich soil, need little or no pruning, are long-blooming and offer beautiful color and foliage.
  
• The home also needed lots of curb appeal. Planting dramatic-looking Skyrocket Junipers in pots was one solution to the problem
  
• Window boxes underneath each window were installed, too, adding charm and even more curb appeal. We used annuals and tender perennials - all to be treated as annuals.
  
• A magnolia was planted to hide the utility box. At the same time, pruning tips were given on another existing magnolia.
  
• Among the plants chosen to provide year-round color: junipers - gray-green with a slight tinge of purple; barberry - purple color until fall with red berries; holly - holds its deep green foliage all year long; and fescue - which also holds its gray-green color through the winter.

WEB Exta Tip: Information about window boxes and maintenance

Window boxes provide instant curb appeal - think about the country charm of European window boxes

• We're using boxes by Flower Framers by Jay - fiberglass planters that are able to water themselves with drip irrigation accessories.
  
• These boxes can be mounted with stainless steel brackets on wrought iron rails, traditional deck and porch railings, masonry and wood.
  
• The design channels water to the sides and out through the drain holes in the end caps.

WEB Extra Tip: Window box planting

• To counteract the long, narrow shape of this lengthy window box - avoid planting in straight rows.
  
• Vary the height of the main plants to break up the horizontal lines
  
• Soft the overall effect with lots of filler and trailing plants

Gardening by Zip Code If you're looking to start a gardening projectbut don't know your gardening zone—visit the National Gardening Associations's USDA Hardiness Zone Finder. Enter your Zip Code to identify the proper zone.

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