April is National Lawn and Garden month! This gives you a wonderful reason to get outside and get your backyard and garden ready. Whether you are starting from scratch or are an experienced pro, here are several tips that you can use to celebrate Lawn and Garden month in style!

• Consider Backyard Composting – Composting is nature’s process of recycling decomposed organic materials into a rich soil known as compost. Backyard composting is an acceleration of the process that occurs in nature. It is recycling at its finest! Use kitchen waste (such as food or paper towels), lawn clippings, and wood chips to provide rich and powerful soil for your garden and lawn. Anything that was once living will decompose, giving you endless options for composting. Composting is good for your plants and for you! Adding organic materials to the soil improves moisture retention. It provides a balanced, slow–release source of nutrients that helps the soil hold nutrients long enough for plants to use them. Healthier plants means a healthier you! It will also save you money because you will no longer have to buy fertilizer. Add a compost bin to your garden and start today!

• Add a fountain – Outdoor fountains offer an easy and affordable way to add style to your lawn or garden. The soothing sound of running water will help to create a tranquil and relaxing escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Transform your garden into your own personal paradise!

• Consider adding variety – If you are fond of flower gardening, venture into edible vegetables! You will be thrilled with the sense of accomplishment you feel when you feed your family fresh, healthy produce that you loving grew on your own. Beans, squash, cucumbers, lettuce/greens, tomatoes, peppers, beets, and garlic are all great vegetables to start with. They are relatively easy to maintain and will offer beautiful variety. If you are already growing your own vegetables, consider planting an eye catching flower garden (try marigold, lupine, daisy, or wildflower mix seeds). Fruits are also a great option. Apples, figs, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries are great for beginners. Variety is the spice of life!

• Go high-tech – Modern technology impacts our daily life. Why not let it impact your backyard? There are several innovations in outdoor living that you will wonder how you ever lived without. The Robomower will make mowing your lawn virtually effortless. No more back-breaking work and labor intensive afternoons spent cutting grass. You simply install special sensors around the perimeter of your yard and push a button. It doesn’t get much easier than that! Another product worth trying is the Mosquito Eliminator. Gone are the days of tacky bug zappers and pesky insects at parties. It is so beautiful that your guests will never guess that it is fighting mosquitoes and other pests. The Eliminator uses high-tech black light technology to cover up to 1,000 feet and capture up to 6,000 mosquitoes with one cartridge. Other garden technology to be on the look for: gardening apps for smartphones (such as iVeggieGarden, which allows you to view over 500 varieties of vegetables and offers tips and ideas), time lapsed garden cameras (which take pictures at various intervals and produce videos or slideshows showing growth progress), and electronic soil testers.