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There's never an off-season for products that can aid or enhance the yard and garden, indoors or out. Here are some new items worth checking out:

Markers with style: Those wooden-stick plant markers are so "Green Acres." Pane in the Grass, out of Portland, Ore., turns kiln-fused glass and old silverware into unique garden markers. There are more than 90 to choose from, from alfalfa to zucchini, priced at $5 each or five for $20. Available at paneinthegrass.com.

Stop the gnomes! Artist Fred Conlon has added "The Bird," a parrot made from an old pipe wrench, to his menagerie of metal creatures that can dress up a garden. His big seller is the Gnome Be Gone line, ferocious-looking critters who protect gardens and lawns from invasions by gnomes or plastic flamingos. "The Bird" is $110. A wonderfully whimsical piece depicting two characters carrying off a gnome goes for $45 (gnome included). Conlon's work is available through sugarpost.com.

Ride the rail: Greenbo railing planters are designed to sit on a balcony or rail that's 2 to 6 inches wide. They're divided into two compartments, and each side has a removable draining tray. Priced at $27.95, they come in more than a half-dozen colors for outdoor or indoor use; go to greendzigns.com.

DIY greenhouse: Frame It All is bringing an 8-foot greenhouse to the market next spring. Using the company's modular kits ("Legos for gardeners," says company spokesman David Cohen), a gardener can build a raised bed one, two or three timbers high (or higher, if needed). The new hard-sided greenhouse ($360) is 8 feet long and made of polycarbonate, supported by an aluminum frame. It is also compatible with Frame It All's other modular kits, so you can get creative in their construction. Go to frameitall.com.

Stink bug trap: The stink bugs are coming! The stink bugs are coming! So far, 33 states have reported stink bugs, an Asian import that came to the U.S. about 10 years ago and are causing havoc in certain regions of the country. They devastate crops and gardens and, when the weather cools, invade homes. Squashing them isn't the solution -- remember the name -- but the Rescue Stink Bug Trap ($19.99) may be. For outside use, it employs pheromones ($9.99 for a seven-week supply) to lure the critters into the reusable trap. As fall nears, set the trap in your attic, snap on the light attachment ($17.99) and discontinue the pheromones. The stupid bugs will crawl in and meet their maker. Find a retailer at rescue.com.

Heavy security: You know those plastic rocks and turtles and frogs that double as hiding places for your spare house key? Of course you do. So do thieves. A new spin on the idea is the RocLok, a fake rock that incorporates a lock box that requires a combination to open. In addition, unlike the resin or fiberglass types, these things are made of a cement-based material and weigh from 4 to 12 pounds. Five sizes and various shapes from $64.99 to $69.99. Go to roclok.com.

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(c)2011 the Chicago Tribune

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dontgoover55 HELP! i have weeds in my yard already! im in northern alabama and we have had 32 degrees and then 60 degrees and back to 32 degrees,my yard is very confused!what do i put down now to kill off the weeds with tini purple flowers and help my grass out?
Sun Jan 29, 2012, 12:50:39 PM EST

luchito dontgoover55: Here in the Northeast we use Scott's products. The first application (early spring) is to kill wild grass. A month later the second is to kill all kinds of weeds. The next two are to fortify the grass and to kill underground bugs (from japanese beetles dropings).
I suggest you talk to a Home Depot or Lowe's rep.: bring a sample of the weeds in question and they will be able to help you. There are some liquid weed killers that these companies carry and are very effective. Good luck.
Sun Jan 29, 2012, 4:18:25 PM EST

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