[I201]In Living Color Character

Countless studies, polls, and surveys indicate that our passion for outdoor living has heightened significantly over the past several years. In fact, we are so ardent about it, that we often enclose our porches, patios, and gazebos, in an attempt to bring the outdoors inside. This also allows us to use our and other patio furniture even in the winter; but we still prefer the warm weather, when we can enjoy our backyards. As much as we love our yards, however, our disdain for the constant care that they demand has also grown. Perhaps because leisure is scarce, while there is no dearth of stress, we are increasingly reluctant to spend a lot of time tending to our lawns and gardens. At the same time, we still want beautiful landscapes, with lots of color, texture, and variety. Therefore, we continue to look for compromises; and some do exist. One good way to cut down on yard work is to use ornamental grasses. Although they have heretofore been used mainly as borders or accents for flower gardens, one of the biggest trends these days is to use them alone. Available in many types, of all sizes and colors, ornamental grasses can turn your high-maintenance lawn into a breath-taking landscape that requires almost no upkeep. These grasses can flourish in, and adapt to, a wide range of climates and soils, from the richest to the poorest. Whether you live in a cool, moist region, and have a yard that's mostly in the shade, or in a sun-baked part of the country, with rocky terrain and parched soil ? or even clay ? in your yard, you can find ornamental grasses that will thrive in your area. The easiest option, for the bulk of your yard, is to plant masses of sedge grass, which is very low-growing. Once it establishes itself, it's simple to maintain, as it needs very little water, and hardly ever has to be mowed. Because there are hundreds of kinds of sedges, it won't be difficult to find one that will work well in your climate. Make sure to use the appropriate grasses in the right places on your landscape. Taller grasses, which include Giant Reed, Eulalia, and Amur Silver, can reach a height of ten feet, so be sure that you have enough space to let them grow. If low maintenance is your goal, inquire at a nursery to make sure that you are not buying self-seeding grasses. When planted correctly, ornamental grasses will give you a knockout yard that you won't have to knock yourself out to maintain. When they are in full bloom, they will set the scenery ablaze with spectacular colors, such as bronze, orange, red, yellow, blue, and purple. They also attract large numbers of birds and butterflies. Of course, there is another simple way to bring the landscape alive with color. All you have to do is to go to AllPicnicTables.com, where you'll find an incredible selection of picnic tables in several materials, including maintenance-free polywood, aluminum, and thermo-plastic coated steel, in dozens of brilliant colors. Naturally, AllPicnicTables.com also has traditional wood tables and dining sets, in cedar, treated pine, oak, cherry, and teak, as well as select pine, which is available in 27 colors. To see their impressive gallery, visit . If you wish to contact a design consultant or customer service representative, call 1-888-293-2339, or e-mail .