Create a natural focal point this fall to view from the inside looking out

I had a single dahlia plant left in my garden. It was battered into the ground by heavy winds and rain. The flowers on the plant, already lying on the ground, had aphids, spiders and slugs living in them. But from a distance, they looked shabby chic beautiful.

Studies show views of nature improve our mood and relax our minds. Improving the view of nature from your window, even if you live on the 10th floor of a high-rise building, might seem impossible this late in the season. But as long as you have a balcony or small patio, improving the view is simple. Just add flowers, dead or alive.

Instead of cutting my dahlias and dumping them, or bringing dahlia blooms with bugs into my home, I clipped the best blooms from my plant and placed them in a large, shallow, water-filled salad bowl. Then, I left the bowl outdoors on my patio table, where I enjoy them from my dining room.

Three garden tasks you don't have to do this fall

Mowing down your perennials the way you mow your lawn is not the best way to spend your time this fall. If you have your shears in hand, gently place them on the shelf in the shed and take a minute to read this fast-breaking gardening news.

1. There is no need to cut back most perennials in the fall:

Gardeners often cut plants back to within an inch of their life while plants are still green, still blooming or still providing interest. If you cut back green plants, you remove stored energy and weaken plants.

Harvesting is not an exact science

My friend Susan asked me when she should start harvesting vegetables.

"When they are ready," I replied as I wondered why she would ask such a question.

But then it sunk in: Susan has never planted a garden before. She thinks gardening is like farming where the whole harvest happens at once on some mysterious date in fall.

Heads up Susan: spinach and arugula picking is already finished in most home gardens. Oops. Sorry if you missed that. My first crop of lettuce is finished, too. It got too hot and went to seed.

What do gardeners want? Houzz.com tells us in new survey 

Even if you are reading this column you don't actually want to garden. What you really, really want most in your garden is easy maintenance and outdoor living. I realized this after reading the new Houzz.com garden survey online (http://bit.ly/1NUnvls). Yes, it's true. Most gardeners' responding to the survey just wanted to sit in the garden and do as little as possible.

And if you bought a new home recently you are more likely than others to develop an outdoor sitting space immediately and get right to the business of lounging.

Houzz followers buying new homes plan to spend extra money buying outdoor furniture and developing colourful, low maintenance beds to surround their new sitting space. And after this space is designed and built, the top use for the renovated outdoor area is simply this: relaxing.

Don't forget to breathe ... and water

It's summer and fields of waving wheat make you smile as you bike down the Cowboy Trail south of Cochrane. You love this image so much you seriously consider selling your condo in the city and buying a farm.

As you arrive home later in the day reality hits. Your plants have wilted in their hot, black pots on the patio. Superbells lay limp and are probably dead. Petunias wilt. Snapdragons droop. Maybe you can't buy the farm until someone starts watering for you in town.

Design your landscape to suit your neighbourhood, yourself

For homeowners, their work is never done once they've found their dream home. In fact, it's often just the beginning.

During this time of year, most owners will turn their attention to the yard. My advice: please your neighbours in the front yard and please yourself in the back. Everything else is icing on your landscape cake.

Hot tubs, fire pits, outdoor kitchens oh my!

With leaves and lawns already turning green thanks to a wealth of warm winter weather, many Calgarians may also be doing likewise as they turn to see their neighbour's backyards.

With Calgarians' well-known love for all things patio, emerging envious of thy neighbour's yard is a sin likely shared by many in the city. As many homeowners up their backyard ante, CREB®Now offers up some suggestions on how bring a little more luxury to your lawn.

Taking high-tech outside the home

* Home is Where the Tech Is: With new technology designed to make the lives of homeowners easier arriving every day. CREBNow explores some of the tech trends designed to help get the best out of your home.

When most homeowners think technology, their thoughts likely turn toward those gadgets designed to add entertainment, safety or convenience to the home.

However, technological advances designed to improve the lives of homeowners need not be cooped up indoors.
Although not as flashy as a new 4K curved screen television, the high-tech contraptions being made for use outdoors can still provide plenty of purpose.

From National Hockey League stars Eric, Jordan and Marc Staal who played on a backyard rink in their Ontario farmyard - not to mention the hundreds, if not thousands, of other professional hockey players - to the youngest of skaters eagerly watching their parents prepare the ice for them, the backyard rink is as Canadian as the game of hockey itself.

Here's some tips on turning your backyard into a icy mecca: