Bob rejoins Ruth Foster on site to tour the landscape work in progress and see how the design has come to life. Foster outlines the major landscape features, including the orderly Elizabethan-inspired garden in the center of the yard, and the more naturalistic garden near the side of the house. The garden's plant choices are roughly positioned and planting is underway.

Bob takes a tour of the completed landscaping in this episode. Landscape designer Ruth Foster has created a Colonial-themed design. Foster chose to keep a magnificent white pine at the front of the yard and combined it with birch trees in the nearby less formal capability garden. Along the front of the yard Foster had planted a half dozen crabapples that will bloom white in the spring. The centerpiece of the landscape is the Elizabethan garden, guarded by two cedar trees at the front of the yard, almost like sentries. The garden itself is edged with flowers, such as rhododendrons and lilacs, as well as favorites like the roses. In addition, Foster has constructed a raised diamond-shaped bed with a topiary in the middle of the garden.

Landscape architects Rick & Nancy Lamb discuss their landscaping plans. Rick outlines the drawn proposal and explains the various benefits of the chosen plants.

Bob talks with Rick Lamb, landscape architect, about revisions to the landscape plan. Rick discusses the importance of choosing plants for all seasons.

Whether cutting storm-damaged branches and dead limbs, regulating growth or shaping a tree for aesthetic purposes, regular trimming is important to promoting a healthy, good-looking tree.

Here s another great tip from BobVila.com. When it comes to finding gardening solutions specific to your area, most experts will direct you something called your local extension service. What exactly, you may ask, is your local extension service? The Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (or CREES) is a national educational network funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Each state has an extension at its land grant university and often has other regional offices. Cooperative extension services study and provide information on everything affecting agriculture and related businesses in their immediate area. Pennsylvania s apple country, for instance, depends on the honeybee for pollination. The local extension is researching ways to combat the recent decimation of the honeybee population in an effort to save this $40 billion industry. CREES is also actively involved in biosecurity, developing new and better ways to protect the security of our food and water supply from toxins and diseases. Their studies help manage our forests, cut the costs of organic farming and educate children and adults about nutrition and the environment. Because it s local, your extension service and its web site are often better sources for information than any general garden manual. Find out how to fight pests, feed your soil, get rid of invasive plants and protect your trees from disease. If you know which plants work best where you live, you can garden greener and spend less time at it. Find out more at BobVila.com: the ultimate home improvement web site! 2008 BobVila.com