A Garden Feature to Honor Mom

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We've all seen the sweet pictures of precious children gifting their adoring mothers with a bouquet of flowers on Mother's Day. This year, keep that charming tradition alive while adding a new twist: home-grown flowers.

Carolina jasmine is easy to grow, it smells great, and the pretty little flowers add a touch of sunlight to any yard. Go back in time with hyacinth, a classic climbing flower that can reseed itself and has been a favorite in yards and gardens for decades. Your grandmother's garden might have a delightful variety growing in it right now!

Roses are a long-time yard favorite, and they're not hard to grow. Many varieties offer disease-resistant properties, and some truly beautiful selections can be found at your local home improvement store.

For a bright, happy welcome each day, plant morning glories. Many varieties bloom throughout the growing season to provide an ongoing dash of color and charm to any yard.

But where to grow the flowers? A simple, beautiful wooden arbor adds depth, architectural interest and character to any yard, and most of them can be easily constructed with some treated lumber, a tool box and a few family helpers. Brad Staggs, HGTVPro.com and DIY show producer and host, and a licensed contractor, recently designed a wooden arbor as part of a multi-project do-it-yourself brochure.

"Garden structures are a great way to call attention to a certain area of the yard -- perhaps the back patio, a quiet corner, or maybe a pretty area near a fragrant tree -- while they also provide an inherent sense of calm and quiet," says Staggs.

"What's great about this arbor is that the whole family can get involved," says Staggs. "And the options are unlimited: You can take an existing plant from a pot and transfer it to the arbor, or plant something brand new and watch it take hold and grow throughout the spring."

A long-time wood fan, Staggs chose pressure-treated Southern Pine for his arbor. "Wood is an authentic product: it's real, it's genuine and it's natural. It's also one of the only naturally renewable products on the market."

So get started now: Buy some lumber from your local dealer, grab your favorite tool box, gather the kids, and build Mom an arbor. The glorious blooms will remind her, year after year, how much her family loves and cherishes her.

To download free arbor plans, please visit www.spanpine.com and click on the brochure cover.