Summertime landscaping and gardening season begins with new, hot items

It's time to smell the flowers, watch the birds, plant a garden and transform backyards into a sanctity that intoxicates the nose and eyes.
To ensure backyard gardens flourish this year, area businesses are offering great deals on flowers, planters and bird feeders.
Priscilla Orvik, who owns Crossroads Landscape Center in Vergas with her husband Scott, has one item in particular that is going to be popular this year.
She explained with people still watching the dollar in these challenging economic times, interest in patio vegetable gardens has spiked.
To meet the demand Crossroads Landscaping is offering a trio stand.
The trio stand has a built in irrigation system and requires no weeding or tilling.
Crossroads manager JoLeen Shodean added the trio stand is a highly manageable way for novice or expert gardeners to see vegetables or flowers flourish.
The garden shop also has potted
strawberry plants
for those who love the sweet summertime fruit.
"The pots are pretty neat and easy to maintain," Shodean added.
Crossroads also offers a variety of herbs, that Shodean noted work excellent with flowers.
"When they're mixed with flowers the herbs give great texture to the floral design," Shodean explained.
Flower choices are plentiful at the Vergas shop and Shodean promises each visitor need only ask for input to get suggestions and decorating ideas.
"That's what we're here for," Shodean stated. "We love to help our customers and provide that friendly service that makes our customers feel appreciated and comfortable."
Another customer friendly shop selling outdoor items is the BackYard Station in Frazee.
With more people enjoying the sight and sounds of birds, not to mention the decrease in mosquito populations, BackYard Station owner Roger Boe has seen a steady increase in sales since the beginning of the year.
While the shop caters to a variety of birds, Boe noted the most popular seems to be the bluebird.
"Bluebirds are a bit like cattle," Boe explained. "If you feed them at a certain time every day, they'll be waiting for you."
To attract bluebirds, he recommended using mealworms.
"Mealworms can be hard to find, but we keep a stock of them here," Boe noted.
The BackYard Station also has seed for song birds, suet for woodpeckers and an array of feeders and houses.
Some of the houses have a bracket at the top of the house, large enough to mount a small camera, which the store also sells.
"The cameras come with a 100 foot cable and are infrared for night viewing," Boe explained. "You can watch the birds and babies or hook the camera into your VCR and tape it."
For a unique gift, the shop also sells squirrel feeders.
"Those squirrels are smart," Boe stated as he explained how some squirrels will lift up a lid to get food enclosed in a feeder.
While some may appreciate the furry, fast creatures, many see them as a nuisance. For them, Boe has the remedy.
He sells a variety of "squirrels proof" bird feeders that may provide ample hours of entertainment, if the squirrel is persistent.
Boe noted the most popular squirrel-proof feeder is the "Yankee Flipper."
The feeder is a long tube and at the bottom is a metal bar where birds can perch as they feast.
But, when the weight of a squirrel hits the bar, the perch spins and creates a flying squirrel.
For those looking to spruce up the indoors, the unique Ne'Qwa Art air freshener may be just the thing.
"It's made of blown glass and painted from the inside," Boe explained. "It's unbelievable."
Because it uses oil, the piece can be reused, even with a new scent. Boe noted there are 60 fragrances in stock at the store, and both the La-Tee-Da oil burners and Ne'Qwa Art burners come with one free fragrance bottle.
Boe reported BackYard Station employee Diane Mistelske keeps records of which fragrances sell, and the Idyllic Refuge (which is a combination of apple, cinnamon and vanilla) was at the top of the list.
"But in the summer the fragrance Summer Keepsake, which is lilac, becomes the most popular," Boe added.
Even though the Ne'Qwa Art air fresheners use cloth wicks that are burned for a short duration, Boe reassured the artistic rendering painted on the glass pieces wouldn't be damaged.
"They have a liner inside that protects the painting and glass from being damaged," Boe added. "They're selling like crazy."
Blossoms, Birds, and Beyond in Perham also has a variety of flowers, plants, bird houses, seed and landscaping items available.
Owner Nick Theroux reported the hottest items right now are mulches and black soil for people to prepare their landscape.
"Annual bedding plants, flowers and vegetable plants are also going well right now," Theroux said. "We tripled our tomato plant inventory because we think this is going to be the year for gardening."
In addition to tomato plants, Blossoms, Birds, and Beyond also carries peppers, cucumbers and herbs.
To spiff up the garden area the store also has a variety of statutes and landscaping benches.
"We also have locally constructed martin bird houses," Theroux added.