Ruth Foster, a landscape consultant, oversees the planting of the perennial flower border in the yard. Smaller plants fill in the front, moving to the tallest flowering plants in back. Foster has chosen deer-resistant plants like summer asters for the front, with echinacea or cone flowers behind. Foster has also selected a vivid, neon autumn joy for the garden. She and Bob look at the early blooming magnolias that have been planted in the yard and the euonomous hedge that will grow to eight or ten feet and turn red in the fall.

Ruth Foster, a retired horticultural columnist from the Boston Globe, joins Bob to review the landscaping plan and plantings for the Rowley yard. Foster has selected a Euonomous hedge to screen the yard from the street. Kelly Brothers landscaping is planting the hedge plants, trees, and gardens. Foster has selected evergreens to round out the corners of the yard and shield the yard from the neighbors. Kelly Brothers plants dogwood trees and flowering magnolias that will grow to about 20 feet. Foster warns against overplanting and reminds Bob that small trees grow much quicker than large ones. She then explains the best way to plant a tree, which is wider than the root ball but with a hard bottom in the planting hole so that the tree won't sink. Foster says to keep the flair at the base of the tree above the soil line. Closer to the deck, Foster has created a flowering border that will enclose the vista and bloom throughout the season.

Bob watches as Kelly Brothers plants bulbs while Ruth Foster explains how to do it well. The small, blue scylla are planted in the front fo the garden, with taller alium behind. Foster shows the pointed end that should aim up and suggests that they be planted as a group, in bouquets, so they will blossom in groups of color. Bob uses a bulb planter to prepare holes for the bulbs. These bulbs, from DutchGardens.com can be purchased as good quality, double-nose, and bargain bulbs. Foster tells Bob that the deeper they are planted, the less likely they are to split. If they are planted too shallow, there will be no blooms in the second year. Once planted, the bulbs will be mulched and left to sleep for the fall and winter. The turf that was damaged during construction is ready to be reseeded. Foster suggests a relaxed approach to lawn planting, using perennial rye and fescue scattered over the surface and raked in. Foster stresses that a "freedom lawn" is mown high and overseeded in the fall and again with the melting snow. Foster uses fescue for shade, blue grass in sun, and perennial rye everywhere.

Bob discusses landscaping and the stone terrace with Ruth Foster, landscape consultant. They stand in the diamond shaped courtyard with a series of diamond shaped planters. The first is filmed with herbs, the second with roses and the third a perennial garden. The fourth and outermost garden is a white garbed with maroon accents to match the trim on the Victorian�s windows. Ruth added sandy loam from a farm, as much of the soil on Martha�s Vineyard is almost a sandy beach type soil. In the herb garden she plants Lavender, Thyme, Basil, Parsley, Chives and Artimesia, which is in all the beds to tie them together. Ruth also selects a Japanese Red Maple and �New Dawn� climbing roses to highlight the garden. Bob then meets up with Fred Portinier, the hardscape consultant. He started with a baseline and worked his way out from the house using bluestone and a base of native island stone dust, gently sloping out to the driveway.

Bob talks to Ryley about a fence and a brick path and to landscaper Susan Hoffer about a perennial and herb garden.

Here s another great tip from BobVila.com. Gardening doesn t have to be just a summertime activity, even in colder climates. Spend a weekend building a cold frame this spring and you can get started earlier and grow later into the fall. Cold frames have been used for centuries to start cold-tolerant plants in the early spring, harden off seedlings before transplanting, shelter tender perennials and even overwinter plants and cuttings. A cold frame is just a box set over the garden with a transparent roof to trap the Sun s heat and the Earth s moisture. Hot beds go one step further with electric cables or a bed of manure just below grade to heat things up. But in most climates, a cold frame s 5- to 10-degree difference and protection from wind and frost is all you need to start your garden weeks earlier. The ideal size for a cold frame is 3 by at least 6 feet, about 12 inches deep along the front sloping to 18 inches at the back. You can use 1x12-inch pressure-treated lumber nailed or screwed or try prefabricated corners for easy dismantling and storage. For the cover, old windows work great, but a panel of Plexiglas , fiberglass or even a double layer of plastic sheeting on a frame will also work. Even easier, check out your favorite gardening catalog for a ready-made model. Orient your cold frame toward the South or Southwest, near the house so you can water it easily and monitor the temperature inside. Spring and fall plants do best at about 60 degrees; summer plants at 75 degrees or below. Plants will wither if they get too hot, though, so once the outdoor temperature goes above 40 degrees, prop the lid open about 6 inches. When the temperature reaches a consistent 50 degrees or above you can remove the lid altogether during the sunny hours and replace it on those chilly spring nights. Find out more at BobVila.com: the ultimate home improvement web site! 2008 BobVila.com

Bob talks with landscape architect David Raphael of Landworks about his approach to the project. David's objective was to work within the context of the existing environment. Landscaping falls primarily around two sides of the house with a small amount of lawn area and some native ground covers. Ferns and other planting won't be going in till spring but for now some native and ornamental perennials have been planted to provide seasonal color. Plant material includes rudbeckia and foxglove. The strongest features of the landscape design are the two Corinthian granite walls that retain the hillside. By incorporating indigenous material like native birch and maple David reintroduced some of the woods that were cleared for construction. Along the small informal bluestone terrace are spirea bumalda and gold flame spirea which should bloom from early summer through the fall.

Bob visits the Burpee Trial Gardens in Ambler, Pa. with George Ball, Burpee president and CEO. George explains the objectives of a "trial" garden and shows off several new plants and flowers.

Bob, landscape architect Clara Bachelor, and contractor Bob Marzilli show how to plant a balled and burlapped shrub.

Bob visits Weston Wholesale Nursery with landscape architect Clara Bachelor.