Enjoy Autumn Colors for Longer with These Vibrant Plant Picks

If I had to rank household tasks from easy to downright dreadful, raking leaves would be near the top of my pain in the "you know what" project list. But as much as I cower at the thought of autumn clean up, I must say that the beautiful display of colors from the trees makes this seasonal task just a little bit more palatable. If only those changing leaves would stay on the trees just a little while longer! 

This got me thinking, what if we could enjoy the beautiful colors of fall for more time during the year with less raking and maintenance? With that being said, I have put together a list of my favorite plants and shrubs that offer the look and feel of autumn from spring to the first snow. 

Japanese Maple

This is one of my favorites for its vibrant red leaves that stay bright for three seasons of the year. The Japanese maple is a smaller tree, growing between two and 30 feet tall depending on the variety, but it requires a low level of maintenance (preferring full sun to partial shade) and adds a lot of color to any property.  

Redbud

This tree blooms early in the spring with bright pink and purple flowers and then transforms through the summer with the appearance of green, tulip-shaped leaves. In the autumn, the leaves turn a nice golden color, making it a real horticultural chameleon with a lot of personality. The tree, which can grow to around 30 feet, even produces bold buds on its trunk and structural branches.

Witch Hazel

My daughter tells me that this shrub is dual functioning as the bark from its stems and roots are extracted and distilled into many popular natural facial toners. But besides its skincare benefits, witch hazel also offers dazzling yellow leaves and flowers that produce a pleasingly spicy scent from October through December.

Burning Bush

With a name like that, you won’t be surprised to find this flowering plant sprouting with fire red leaves that will add a real pop of color to your shrubbery from spring to fall. A word to the wise on this one though – its aggressive growth tendencies actually put it on the list of prohibited plants in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, so you’ll want to keep it well contained.

Kale

This one is my wife’s favorite. You might see kale popping up on menus in restaurants all over town, but the vegetable also looks great in the garden and can be used to add loads of color to pots, on porches, and anywhere else around the yard. Kale is one of many cousins in the cabbage family and its green, white and purple leaves have serious staying power – even peeking through after the first winter frost.

This variety of plants, trees and shrubs is really just the tip of the iceberg in terms of keeping fall colors in your yard all year long. What are your favorite autumn-hued plant picks? I'd love to hear from you. Drop me an email or send me a message on Facebook at www.facebook.com/odonnellbros.

Bob O’Donnell is the owner of O’Donnell Bros. Inc., a Bristol-based home improvement company established in 1975. Email your questions to info@odonnellbros.com with the subject line “Ask the Pro.” All questions may be considered for publication. To contact Bob for your remodeling needs, call O’Donnell Bros. Inc. at (860) 589-5155 or visit http://www.odonnellbros.com. Advice is for guidance only.

Key Questions Before Investing in a Fixer-Upper

For a lot of young people, a first step onto the property ladder might mean purchasing an older home that needs a bit of work. Fixer-uppers can be a great way to enter the real estate market, especially if you’re handy around the house and know a thing or two about remodeling.

But if you’re new to the game, getting swayed into paying too much for a rundown home that needs more work than it’s worth can be a real risk. Here are some things to think about before sinking your life savings into a piece of property:

Mr. Inspector

No matter what, always make sure you have an inspector look at the property and report on his or her findings. Lots of homes look perfectly fine on the outside but have expensive or even toxic damage hidden within the property. An inspector will document any issues he or she finds, and at the very least you should be able to use that information to negotiate the price with the seller. If major parts of the house such as the foundation or structural walls need replacing, or if the house has lead paint, lead pipes, or asbestos, you might want to rethink your potential purchase entirely.

Your Budget +15%

Be really clear about how much you are willing to spend to renovate your purchase into the house of your dreams, and be sure to include the cost of materials, the labor and any permits and paperwork in your estimate. Know that very few projects run to budget, so tack on an extra 15% to give yourself some breathing room. Think about what projects have to be dealt with immediately and which ones can wait. Broken stairs might need immediate attention, but the pink sink and bathtub might just grow on you – at least for the first year.

A Piece of History

Make sure you are aware of the historic status of an old home. Many people purchase houses in an area or zone that doesn’t allow the aesthetic to be changed, which could put a real damper on your dream plans. Also, know that historic restoration is much more expensive than a normal remodel, and it often requires specialists to get the job done right. Be aware of this before you buy.

Keep it Vanilla

A lot of young people buy fixer uppers with plans to remodel in a way that suits them personally. This is fine, but consider what types of projects will enhance the resale value of your home and attract a wide variety of buyers. Additionally, make sure that your remodeling plans keep your house in line with the other homes in the area. Real estate experts suggest keeping your home within 10-15% of the median sale price of other homes in your area. The last thing you want to do is spend a fortune to revamp a house and then not be able to sell it when the time is right.  

Your Crew

Once you decide on your fixer-upper, make sure you hire experts to handle each individual job. Many people are tempted to get one handyman to install the flooring, replace the electrical, and fix the plumbing as a way to save money. This usually comes back to bite the homeowner as no general contractor can be an expert at everything. Find a pro that you love and ask him or her for recommendations. Every contractor has other tradespeople that they feel comfortable introducing to their clients because they do great work. Remember, it’s their reputation on the line too.

 Bob O’Donnell is the owner of O’Donnell Bros. Inc., a Bristol-based home improvement company established in 1975. Email your questions to info@odonnellbros.com with the subject line “Ask the Pro.” All questions may be considered for publication. To contact Bob for your remodeling needs, call O’Donnell Bros. Inc. at (860) 589-5155 or request a call. Advice is for guidance only.

Hearty Veggies to Plant in Your Summer Garden

This summer my family has been enjoying the crop of vegetables and herbs that have been flourishing in our garden. There’s nothing better than making a salad from your own fresh lettuce and jazzing up your steak with rosemary plucked off the bush.  If you didn’t get a chance to plant a spring garden but crave the joys of straight from the source produce, there are a whole bunch of delicious veggies that you can get in the ground today to enjoy before the first frost.

Before you start, make sure you check the ground temperature. Get out into the garden a few hours after sunrise and use a soil thermometer to see how warm the dirt is. Most of the vegetables I’ve listed like the temperature to be between 75-85 degrees Fahrenheit. If your garden gets a lot of sunshine, your soil could be too warm and you might need to shade it.

Remember, summer seedlings will germinate quicker and will need more water in order to survive and thrive.

There are too many fall favorites for me to list, but johnnyseeds.com has a great round-up of picks for a weekend plant. As a general rule of thumb, hearty greens, most varieties in the cabbage family, and root vegetables are a safe bet. Here are the ones at the top of my list.

Swiss chard is an amazing vegetable to enjoy in the autumn. It needs a ground temperature of about 86 degrees Fahrenheit and will be ready for picking in six to eight weeks.  If you’re not familiar with this veggie, collard greens and kale are more popular produce picks that have a similar flavor and grow time.

Spinach is one of my favorites because of its tough to beat in terms of iron and vitamins K, A, and C. I love that you can enjoy it raw in salads, sautéed as a dinner side, or cooked in an omelet for breakfast. Plant this one now to enjoy in between six to ten weeks. 

Beets also love the warm soil and if you put them in the ground now they’ll be ready to eat by the end of summer. My wife is an amazing cook and she loves roasting the bulbs and sautéing the greens, which are high in beta-carotene, vitamin C, iron, and calcium.

Finally, everyone loves carrots, which are a slow growing vegetable but most definitely worth the wait. Carrots will take up to 12 weeks to be ready for picking, which means they’ll be ready for slow roasting just in time for the cooler October weather.

If you don’t have time to plant your own garden, you can enjoy the fruits (and vegetables) of our local farmer’s labor by visiting the new Bristol Farmer’s Market every Saturday at The Patch Downtown from 10am to 1pm. It’s a great way to support the local community and get a taste of what’s in season.