In addition to full service maintenance, Jack's specializes in planting, replacing and redesigning beautiful bedding areas to improve your home's curb appeal and increase the enjoyment of your yard.
Whether you enjoy a walk on the "wild side" or favor manicured greens, you can count on quality design and great advice from the professionals at Jack's.
Pictured here: Soft curves, shredded bark beds and a minimalist approach give this new home an architectural accent.

Limelight Doubles for Cuttings and Border…
This exciting new hardy Hydrangea from Holland is refreshingly green summer-long and well into autumn, when the blooms change color to a rich deep pink. For a beautiful border that doubles as constant cutting source for flower arrangements, this winter-friendly planting is definitely a Proven Winner.

*Photo compliments of Proven Winners

A Line of Wine…
This beautiful purple-black foliage contrasts sharply with a lush green lawn for a perfect, compact border, edging or an ideal companion in perennial beds. Midnight Wine is a Proven Winner favorite for its small, dwarf habit, season-long color and intensity of foliage. Midnight Wine is also a stunning selection for mass plantings .

*Photo compliments of Proven Winners

Blondy has more fun…
This colorful new Proven Winner "Blondy" Euonymus shrub (left) features big, clear yellow thumb prints in the center of each leaf with bright yellow stems. Recipient of PW's First Choice Award, it grows to a height of 18-24 inches and is all the rage in Europe. On the right, great containers come from PW's new Verbena hybrid, "Temari." It's bushy, upright and a colorful candidate for window boxes or container areas.

*Photo compliments of Proven Winners

ARTICLE: The Value of Landscaping:
Compliments of the American Realtors Association

While trying to sell your home, you may find prospective buyers aren't getting past the front door to appreciate your exceptional interior design. The problem? Your home may lack "curb appeal."
Curb appeal is the allure or attraction to a home from the exterior. Many factors contribute to a winning curb appeal, such as fresh paint, manicured shrubs and threes, and the lack of clutter, However, one of the most effective ways to enhance your home's curb appeal and increase the resale value is through landscaping.
In fact, a recent "Smart Money" article stated that landscaping could add up to 15 percent to a home's value. National Association of Realtors President-Elect, Walt McDonald of Riverside, California, was quoted in the article as saying, "When people ask me how they can get strong interest in their property, I always tell them to fix up their landscaping."
Dave Middleton, of Coldwell Banker Burnett in Stillwater, Minn., agrees. "First impressions go a long way and landscaping is part of the first impression," Middleton said. "Average returns can be upward of 100 to 200 percent -- if you invest $1,000 in landscaping, you can get double back."
Choosing to do nothing or allowing shrubs to become overgrown, which blocks out natural sunlight and obstructs the exterior of the home, can negatively affect the price of a home. Take the example of Minneapolis resident Rich Goldsmith, who bought his home two years ago. After spending about $2,000 on landscaping projects, he added approximately $10,000 to his home's value, according to his appraiser. This means Goldsmith will get back about five times more than his investment.
"I really wanted to do some landscaping that would update the look and appeal of my house," Goldsmith said. "It didn't take a lot of work, it looks great and now I have the added benefit of an increased resale value."
Robert Allan Gravier, landscape expert and president of Allan Block Corporation, an national manufacturer or stackable garden and landscape blocks, said, "Over the last few years we've recognized an increased demand for our landscaping products because of the value they add to the home." Gravier offered a few landscaping ideas to upgrade a home's curb appeal:

• Attractive entryways -- A stairway leading form the driveway or street to your front door will welcome visitors to your home in style. A staggered or curved stairway edged by a short garden wall adds character to your yard. Accomplish this look by replacing worn-out stairways with concrete block such as Allan Block, which features a variety of styles and colors.
• Raised planting beds -- Border the front of your home with planting beds along the foundation. These beds can enhance drainage and add an architectural element to the landscape.
• Terraces -- Tame steep slopes and hard-to-maintain areas with terraced walls. Allan Block has more advice to offer homeowners considering enhancing their outdoor living experience.

Five Money-Smart reasons to Hire a Landscape Professional

-Compliments of the American Nursery & Landscape Association

If you’ve been straddling the proverbial fence about hiring a landscape professional, ask yourself a question. Would you install wiring without an electrician or bathrooms without a plumber? Landscaping is on a par with other professional services you wouldn’t do without, says the American Nursery & Landscaping Association (ANLA).
Evaluate these issues when contemplating professional design services.

1. Home Value – Landscaping greatly impacts home value. A bare root twig planted near a window can grow into a 50-foot tree. A professional plan places or sites plants correctly, so they won’t become threats or obstructions to the home. Work with someone who knows how plants develop and your dreams won’t become nightmares.

2. Peace of Mind – Hiring a design pro before ripping up your lawn will save headaches, not to mention dollars. Many landscape professionals consider design a value added service.

3. Know-how – Mass marketed plants can be non-hardy for your area. Also, the unsuspecting consumer may not be aware of varieties susceptible to pest infestations. A professional helps you avoid expensive mistakes. Remember, because mass marketers stress volume rather than specialization, you may not see new varieties for years. In contrasts, landscape designers can provide you with a whole spectrum of plant material.

4. Long-term maintenance – A professional will ask how much time you have to maintain your landscape and design accordingly. Garden ideas you’ve gleaned from magazines might be impractical for your lifestyle. The orchard or rose arbor you want may require regular chemical treatments to survive. Professionals can select beautiful, easy-care plants.

5. Investment in the future – Wise homeowners choose investments based on their return. The unified aesthetic appearance of a professionally designed landscape is intrinsic to its value. If well executed and attuned to its surroundings, landscaping has a recovery value of 100 to 200 percent, according to MONEY Magazine. The positive returns on landscaping, however, are as satisfying emotionally as they are economic.