For most pool owners, the landscaping surrounding it can be the finishing touch to the backyard oasis. Plants provide beauty and privacy around a swimming pool.

They also can be used to hide swimming pool equipment and help swimming pools to blend more naturally with the surrounding environment.

Your goal should be to create a landscape that frames your pool and makes it the focal point of your yard. Make sure to incorporate some taller plants that will be able to form privacy screens around the pool area. And don't forget to select plants that will be low maintenance and use less water. This will give you more time to enjoy your pool.

Every pool owner should be aware a number of considerations before selecting plants. Remember that your pool and the deck surrounding it reflect a tremendous amount of sun. Make sure to choose plants that can take it. Also, pick plants that either don't have much litter or that drop all their leaves at one time so you only have to clean up once a year. Constant leaf drop will require constant cleaning.

Use low water-use plants that will not require heavy irrigation around the pool. Too much water can damage pool equipment and potentially lift your concrete decking. Plan for year-round color and select plants with showy flowers that don't attract bees.

Try to avoid planting lawns near swimming pools. This will help keep grass clippings out of the water. If planting trees, select varieties with non-invasive root systems to avoid damage to deck or pool.

It's hard to avoid splashing around a pool, so any nearby plants will probably be exposed to the effects of pool chemicals. How your plants are affected will depend upon the type of chemicals you use. As a general rule, plants with thick leaves are more likely to be resistant to chemicals and pool salts.

A poolside landscape will enhance the beauty and elegance of your pool. By softening the edges of your pool, you can make it blend in more naturally with the rest of the garden. We have a great selection of plants that are perfect for poolside planting. Stop by and our staff of nursery professionals will be happy to help get you started.

Watering, weeding, and deadheading (and harvesting, if you are growing vegetables and herbs) head the list of projects for this month.

Watering - Watering may be the biggest job this month, especially when the weather gets hot. To keep a lawn green and lush, water about one inch every five to seven days.

Make a frequent check of flowers and vegetables for their watering needs. Generally, you'll want to give them about an inch of water each week; deep, less frequent watering is better for them than frequent surface watering. When possible, water in the morning so the soil has a chance to warm up before the cooler evening hours set in, as well as giving the foliage plenty of time to dry.

Check outdoor container plants every day during hot weather and about every second day in more moderate weather. Water them thoroughly each time you water.

Weeding - With warmer weather and more frequent watering, weed seeds will germinate faster. In addition, many weeds seed at this time of year and the seeds will be blown or carried into your garden. Take time to keep the weeds cultivated out of all parts of the garden.

Many weeds are hosts to insects and diseases. Keep them under control, so pests and diseases do not infest your other garden plants.

Harvesting - Pick fruits and vegetables as soon as they're ripe. Overripe fruits especially can attract a number of pests, and in this month's hotter weather, they will rot very quickly.

Deadheading - Keep deadheading flowers as they fade; not only will the plants look better, but if they're allowed to produce and shed their seeds, they're more likely to stop producing new blooms. Just a little time spent on grooming the plants really makes a big difference in the appearance of the garden.

Other Chores

Fall Vegetables - Right now is the time to start fall and winter vegetables. Plant or seed them directly into the garden or start them indoors. Green onions, carrots, beets, lettuce, spinach, radishes, and over-wintering cauliflower are the most popular vegetables to grow in the winter garden.

If you choose not to have a winter vegetable garden, consider planting a nitrogen-fixing cover crop to be turned into the soil in the spring.

Lawns - Watering is by far the most important lawn project this month. Water in the morning when it is still cool, so there will be less water lost to evaporation and so the lawn will not remain cool and damp overnight (and attract fungus or algae).

Raise the cutting height on your mower to keep grass longer, conserving water and helping roots stay cool.

Wildflower seeds tend to be ripe by late summer, so if you have a meadow to mow, this is a good month to hop on the tractor.

Perennials and Biennials - Many plants can be started from seed sown directly into the garden this month or next. Iris and other early-blooming perennials can still be divided this month and even into September. Choose a cool day or time of day, and give them a tall drink of water in their new locations.

Planning and Planting - This is the month to select fall bulbs for planting. Design your garden now, rather than waiting till the last minute. If you haven't yet removed dead and dying spring blooming-annuals, do so, and amend the soil for later planting. Replant with fresh color to add fall magic to your yard.

Houseplants - Houseplants will need to be watered more often this month, especially if they're in a sunny window.

If you are going on vacation, move plants out of direct sunlight, especially those in south-facing windows. If you have a helpful neighbor who will water them, good. Otherwise, water them thoroughly before you leave.

Slugs and Bugs - Take time to examine the garden on a weekly basis to see if slugs or any kind of bugs are ruining the appearance of any of your flowers or shrubs.

Our nursery professionals can help you determine what is causing the problem and recommend the appropriate steps to take to eliminate the culprits.

Summer is so eagerly looked forward to because of the riches of visual delights it brings. Not the least of these is the myriad of birds that are drawn to the birdhouses that we've erected, and the safe havens our eaves provide for nest-building. Watching the mating process, the nest building, and eventually the first day of flight are treasures of Nature in which we are allowed to partake.

Just as we need to hydrate during the warm season, so do birds. One way that we can pay back to Nature is to provide safe and clean drinking and bathing arenas for them.

If you have a deck, this is an ideal place to set a bird bath--particularly if it's close to a hose for easy daily cleaning. It will draw birds that are not just visiting your feeders for seed; these include vireos, warblers, orioles, bluebirds, thrushes, buntings, and even more. Plant gladiolus around your deck and the hummingbirds will be able to eat and drink; there are few greater pleasures than watching these marvelous little birds, especially when they seem suspended in space.

Traditional bird baths consist of a basin on a pedestal, but the available colors, textures, materials and finishes are so varied that you can easily find one consistent with the style of your garden. Choose one with gradually sloping sides that provide several different depths of water.

Small birds, such as chickadees, need water less than an inch deep while larger birds like robins will bathe in 2 inches of water. With a solid rim on which to perch, the birds can more easily tip their heads to drink. But they also need to bathe, which is why we encourage you to have a basin with a slope that will allow for both drinking and bathing.

Why not consider a clamp-on bird bath that attaches to your deck's railing and has both shallow and deeper areas that accommodate birds of all sizes? One caveat--glazing may be more attractive to our sensibilities, but it can be a slippery surface, so consider first a bath made of pottery, stone, or cement composition.

The most important aspect of providing water for our avian friends is that it be clean water in a clean environment. Do a daily scrubbing on your bird bath, and refill with fresh water. If there are tough stains, use a very little bleach mixed with water, scrub, and rinse THOROUGHLY before you add the fresh water. Adding this task to your daily regimen will prevent algae from forming. And if you've placed your bird bath close to your garden hose, it will be even easier to provide safe hydration.

There are many bird baths from which to choose; we've listed a few of the ones with unique qualities.

• Just like children, birds are drawn to the sight and sound of dripping or splashing water. Dripper bird baths run a tube from the faucet to the dripper with an adjustable valve that enables you to make the drip very slow, thus conserving water while still attracting the birds.

• Solar fountain bird baths contain a solar panel that circulates the water with a pump. They are energy efficient, but functional only during hours of bright sunlight.

• Misting bird baths are a particular favorite of hummingbirds, who fly through them to bathe. If nearby leaves get wet, some birds will bathe by rubbing against them.

No matter which kind of bird bath you choose, place it in the open so that its visitors can watch for predators, but also provide landing spots within 10 feet of the bath. And then feel good about yourself for having made Life in the Wild just a little bit easier for your garden's denizens.

This Phantastic Phasmatid made the Top 10 Strange Species found and described in 2008 by the International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University by being the world's longest insect, with a body length of 14 inches and an overall length of 22.3 inches. Found in Borneo by amateur Malaysian naturalist Datuk Chan Chew Lun, the Phobaeticus chani, also known as Chan's megastick, beats out both the previous record holder for the longest body in the insect world (another stick insect from Borneo named P. kirbyi), and the longest stick insect with its legs fully stretched (P. serratipes, which was also found in Malaysia).

Little is known about the P. chani's biology, but there is speculation that it lives in the canopy of the rainforest of Borneo, and its eggs have tiny wings so they can glide from one tree to another. And the upside? Its life expectancy is believed to be 100 years.

A specimen, one of only six specimens known, all of which originate from the State of Sabah in Borneo, will go on display in the Creepy Crawlies gallery at the Natural History Museum in London. The museum's curator of stick insects, George Beccaloni, said: "We've known about both the previous record holders for over 100 years, so it's extraordinary an even bigger species has only just been discovered. It's a sad thought that many other spectacular insect species are disappearing as their habitats are destroyed, before we have been able to find and name them. It's amazing that such big things are still out there and makes you wonder what else there might be."

Hopefully these finds, and the subsequent attention they are receiving will lead to a monetary boost to scientific funding. We frequently forget how little we truly know about our own world and the marvels that are still to be discovered.

Click here to view more Strange Species!

Can I save my plants that have shriveled up from the heat?

Answer:
That depends how long your plants have been suffering. Plants don't die from heat exposure, but rather from a lack of water to combat the drying effects of the heat.

(Think walking in the desert without water.)

Plants need moisture to keep the cells in their leaf tissues healthy. If there is no moisture for the plant to take up, the cells will burst and the foliage will start to shrivel and burn in the areas farthest from the root ball (source of water) and work its way towards the center of the plant.

When plants are first stressed, they will show you by wilting. When watered within a few hours of wilting, most plants will perk up and look just fine again. They may be saying a few choice words under their breath at you, but all will be forgiven. But if your plant is shriveled and burned, it means your plant was neglected and you could be facing five to ten for plant homicide.

If the plant is in the ground, water the root ball with your hose. Turn the water so that the hose is only slowly dripping. Water for 1-2 hours or until the root ball looks fully saturated.

In a container, try to soak the entire container in a bucket of water until it has fully absorbed enough water and the container is heavy again. Then continue back on a regular watering schedule. Do not fertilize your stressed plant to "help" it recover.

If the plant is still alive, it should show some new growth within 7-14 days. At that point, prune off any dead foliage above where the new growth is appearing. Once you have at least 3 inches of new growth, you may give it a light feeding.