August Bargain Days are Here!

During the entire month of August, Estabrook's will be offering new deals on our high quality plant material and professional collection of tools and garden gear each week.

We'll unveil new savings each Thursday on the plants and products you've come to rely on in the garden. The month-long event culminates in our giant Indoor Yard Sale on Saturday, August 25th that will feature jaw-dropping bargains on overstock, damaged and even brand new products.

Make an investment in your home's future by planting or rejuvenating your landscape. Not just for "curb appeal" anymore, a home landscape can increase your property value by up to 15%.

Get a head start this August with amazing savings of 15-50% on a wide selection of trees, shrubs and roses. Among the bargains you'll find include:

	All Lilacs - 30% OFF Enjoy the fresh, fragrant scent of lilac right in your own garden! Available in tree and shrub forms, lilacs make a beautiful addition to your landscape that will fill your yard with amazing aroma. We have many different varieties to choose from!
	Flowering Crabapples - up to 50% OFF A regal addition to any landscape, flowering crabapples offer gorgeous springtime blooms in a radiant array of colors, and unique structure that will serve as a focal point year round. The late season fruit will attract birds of all kinds - perfect for the bird enthusiast!
	Arborvitaes - up to 30% OFF In addition to being ornamentals, trees and shrubs can also serve valuable functions in your yard. Arborviates are the perfect example. Instead of an unsightly barrier, plant a string of these evergreens and you can create a "living fence" that will screen and add intimacy to your backyard.

We have over 400 different varieties on sale! Click here for the complete list and remember to check back next Thursday for more savings.

Creating an Island Bed

Meredith Kennedy
Plan Before You
Plant Designer

Island beds are freestanding beds, usually surrounded by lawn. By installing an island bed you can take a bare, uninteresting area and turn it into an attractive, eye-catching landscape feature. Use island beds to create a focal point, screen unattractive features, create privacy and reduce noise and lawn size.

Don't Skimp on Size

Island beds need to be large enough to accommodate your plants' growth in the coming years (look for this information on the plant tag or in our online plant catalog). If you are planning on putting trees and shrubs in your island bed, design a bed that is at least 8 feet wide. This width allows you to maintain your bed easily from the edge. If you design a wider bed, leave room for stepping stones to access your bed to weed and groom.

See what Plan Before You Plant can do for you!
View Finished Designs...

Create a Pleasing Shape

The shape is best determined by the area you have to work within. In general, a gently curving line is best. Curves are not only calming, but also make mowing and edging easier. To help create your shape, lay a garden hose on the ground to represent the future shape of your bed. Arrange and adjust the hose until you like the shape.

Select Plants That Fit Your Conditions

One of the great advantages of island beds is that you can easily group plants that require the same growing conditions together. For example, a bed located in a front yard that is hot and dry with full sun needs plants that thrive in those conditions: some Maples, Hawthorn, White Pine, Juniper, Quince, Potentilla, Sand Cherry or Bayberry to name a few. If perennials interest you, there are many choices that thrive in hot, dry conditions. Although a plant might thrive in dry conditions, all plants must be watered while getting established.

Island beds are a great, manageable way to add interest and beauty to your yard. So go ahead and get your hands dirty!

For more information on choosing the right plants for your conditions contact us here at Estabrook's. If you'd like help designing your island garden, Estabrook's now offers Plan Before You Plant - landscape design assistance for the homeowner.