Do you live in Pennsylvania, New Jersey or Delaware and are looking for custom pool houses or garden sheds? Here at Froehlich’s Farm & Garden we represent Homestead Structures as our manufacturer of Pool Houses, Pavilions, Custom Sheds, Horse Barns and Garages. Since 2003 Homestead Structures has being supplying the Tri-State area with the most unique pre-fabricated custom pool house and sheds in the region. Not only do they supply this region, they will ship their products anywhere in the continental United States.
Made in Lancaster, Pennsylvania by top skilled artisans, we find that when we compare the quality of product built by Homestead Structures with other shed and pool house manufacturers that their products are far more superior, durable and a detailed custom look.
Our sister Company, FS Landscaping Contractors which specializes in swimming pool design offers all of their clients the opportunity to have a custom pool house installed be Homestead Structures by their pool side. These great Amish built sheds, garages and pool houses are one of a kind and will add value to your landscape and pool area. Contact us today for your FREE consultation or visit Homestead Structures direct on the web at http://www.homesteadstructures.com to view some of the styles available.
Remember we can customize just about any shed or pool house style you choose.
The trends of gardening and landscapes are constantly changing. However, in attracting wildlife and creating an appealing backyard habitats there are three main needs of nature’s creatures that always stay the same: food, water and shelter. Creating a backyard oasis and attracting backyard wildlife by adding certain features and using native plants, in addition to other great plant varieties not only creates a self-sustaining environment, it also adds great appeal and value to your property.
Native plants are low maintenance and add great color to any landscape or garden, as well as provide nectar, shelter and food sources for wildlife. Less maintenance is required in planting native varieties since they are suited for the soil and climate. There are many plants of all shapes, sizes, color and features to choose from when looking to add native specimens to the landscape. Popular native perennials include Lobelia (Cardinal Flower), Rudbeckia (Black-Eyed Susans), Echinacea (Cone Flower), Monarda (Bee Balm), Aquilegia (Columbine) and Asclepias (Butterfly Weed). Some great native trees and shrubs include Rhododendron, Kalmia (Mountain Laurel), Dogwoods, Eastern White Pines, Sweetbay Magnolia, American Hollies, and Red Maples. With over 2,100 native plants known to Pennsylvania, there is sure to be something for everyone’s needs.
Looking to attract butterflies and hummingbirds? These flower lovers look for quick nectar sources, and they love bright colors! Butterflies prefer flowers with clustered blooms that face upward, offering an unobstructed landing pad to receive nectar, whereas hummingbirds prefer tubular, bell and funnel shaped blooms. Look for these perennials, many which are native, to add to your gardens to attract both butterflies and hummingbirds: Agastache, Buddleia, Asters, Penstemon, Hostas, Coral Bells, Salvia, Eupatorium (Joe Pye Weed), Coreopsis and Phlox. Look for these annuals, which are perfect to mix into perennial beds or containers, Alyssum, Cosmos, Calibrachoa (Million Bells), Heliotrope, Lantana, Pentas, Tithonia (False Sunflower), Verbena and Zinnias.
Another wildlife friend, who often goes under appreciated and get a bad ‘buzz’, are the bees. About 25% of everything we eat and drink, as well as more than 80% of the flowers we enjoy, is a result of bee pollination. Without these little workers in our gardens and landscapes, we would be in trouble! Native plants supply some of the best nectar to bees, as well as the butterflies, moths and hummingbirds.
In addition to adding native plants to the landscape and gardens, there are other great features to add to create a backyard oasis and attract wildlife. Think about hanging bird houses to provide shelter, or bird feeders to provide an additional food source. A birdbath is another great feature to provide fresh water for birds to both drink and bathe. In placing a birdbath, remember to put it a few feet away from trees or shrubs to make for a quick escape if needed!
Remember to be creative. Planters and window boxes are a great way to incorporate flowers into your backyard. Whether it is on a porch, patio or even along a walkway, there is always a spot to add some plants. Also, do not forget your local garden centers are here to help! From native perennials, trees and shrubs, to unusual annuals and tasty herbs, Froehlich’s Farm is here to answer any questions and to help you get planting with our huge selection of plant material. Bring in photos of the areas you want to add to or redo, tell us what you are trying to achieve, and we will make it happen!
Pentas – a drought tolerant annual that blooms profusely all summer long!
Dogwood, a native tree variety.
Agastache is a butterfly and hummingbird magnet!
Salvia ‘Black and Blue’ is not only beautiful, but is sure to bring hummingbirds to your containers and gardens.
Echinacea (Cone Flower) is a popular native plant – so many colorful varieties to choose from!
Asclepias (Butterfly Weed) is one of the only plants that a Monarch butterfly will lay its eggs on. Pretty cool!
Rhododendron – a popular native shrub.
Phlox, a native perennial.
Rudbeckia (Black Eyed Susan) is a terrific native plant!
Helitrope – a butterfly favorite.
Petunia – a popular annual with many, many different varieties available. A sun loving, colorful annual!
Lantana – perfect for use in hanging baskets and planters, very drought tolerant a a butterfly and hummingbird favorite.
Torenia – a true blue! Great annual for the shade.
Fuschia is a great hummingbird favorite!
Mandevilla – a beautiful, drought tolerant tropical.
When it comes to feeding backyard birds there are many benefits beyond the sheer enjoyment of bird watching. These benefits include insect control, weed control, flower pollination, education, interacting with nature, and it can even increase the value of your home.
As more and more land becomes developed, natural habitats for wildlife are destroyed. By feeding and creating a native habitat for backyard birds, it aids in replacing food sources and shelters that have disappeared. Further, adding native plants to your gardens and landscape not only benefits the birds and other native wildlife, it also can increase the value of your home. By maintaining a great landscape, you achieve curb appeal, which is a fantastic investment! Some great native plants beneficial to birds include flowering dogwood, witch hazel, white pines, maple trees, oak trees, serviceberry, winterberry, spicebush, barberry, elderberry, echinacea, and viburnum.
With the increasing amount of insects, birds play an important role in our ecosystem and keep insect populations under control. By attracting birds to your backyard, these feathered friends can reduce certain insect populations up to 98%, making for great insect control. Along with insects, many birds eat huge amounts of seeds. By attracting birds to your backyard, it will also attract them to natural food sources, like weeds, that are unwanted in your landscape.
Not only will birds help with the weed control of your landscape by eating seeds, but wild birds also assist with flower pollination to further benefit your gardens. Further, by observing birds it creates an education experience, which is great for all ages. There are over 10,000 different species of birds in the world, and the United States along is home to about 900 different species.
Without the help of native birds, our gardens would easily be overrun with weeds and insect populations would plague our ecosytem and way of life. For those two reasons alone, our backyard feathered friends are definitely something to keep around. Yes, they have many natural food sources, but constant development has greatly depleted those sources. So remember, by adding a bird house, bird feeder, or native plants to your property, you help the native birds and our ecosystem a little at a time, in addition to gaining all the benefits that native birds bring to you!
Edible and organic gardening is on the rise and is easily a favorite hobby for many. More and more people are discovering the wonders of having fresh produce right in their backyard; nothing beats a homegrown fresh herb, fruit or vegetable. Although with any garden, comes the issue of weed control. When it comes to edible gardening, it is very important to select the right mulching agent.
There are many different natural and organic ways to mulch your garden beds or vegetable garden. Some options include cocoa shells, weed matt or composts. Others choose to use newspaper, leaves, straw or grass clippings. There are pros and cons to all these options, including the inability to allow the correct amount of water or nutrients into the garden. Also, materials like straw, grass clippings and compost may add nutrients but they also bring many more weeds into the garden, creating more work.
Premium Ground Cover Package
Lucerne Farms has introduced a Premium Ground Cover product that is an ideal natural mulch for any garden. This natural, heat treated mulch is a mix of chopped straw, timothy hay and alfalfa hay. This is a easy to use product and unlike a bale of straw, this product will leave no mess behind; it is packaged in a large plastic sealed compressed bale. Premium Ground Cover gives a clean look to any garden and best of all, it naturally decomposes into the soil, adds nutrients and there no need for later clean up.
To put this product to the test, in order to make sure it is everything it has been talked up to be, we decided to do a little experiment of our own. We used a bed planted with strawberry plants and mulched part of the bed in straw, the other part in Premium Ground Cover. Already with the first step, Premium Ground Cover was in the lead. The straw was messy and harder to handle, leaving behind quite a mess. The Premium Ground Cover was extremely easy to use and was applied in half the time that the straw was, leaving behind no mess.
Day 1 – Straw vs. Premium Ground Cover
Two weeks later, our experiment was showing huge results! Many weeds were growing up through the straw, whereas the Premium Ground Cover was still weed free and looking great. So the winner is… Premium Ground Cover. We even tested it on some newly spread grass seed, which works like a charm.
Two Weeks Later – Huge Results!
This product is definitely a winner and something every home gardener should use. Premium Ground Cover is available in our store, so stop in today to pick up a bag of your own – you will not be disappointed!
