Some people can’t wait for the first sunny day to rush out to local greenhouses or home improvement stores for blooming plants to add a touch of color to their spring and summer landscape.

But not everyone enjoys the spring ritual of planting annuals – from the early blooming pansies, to those that grace yards with color all summer like marigolds, zinnias, impatiens and petunias. That’s because no matter ho pretty they are, annuals will only last you for the season before dying. And they can’t be expected to produce the same variety that you planted even though some of these annuals are actually capable of reseeding.

Your home can take advantage of perennial plantings if you don’t enjoy a lot of gardening but nevertheless wish you had flowers in your garden. You can basically just plant them once and then basically forget about them if you choose plants well suited for your locality and plant them where they receive the optimum light and moisture for their type.

Unlike annuals, perennials return year after year. Most of which will increase in size and beauty. So that a single plant can, over time, become many that fill up flower beds without additional work, they will spread through rhizomes, creating new bulbs, or through seeds.

Some of the best known plants are among the most industrious of these self-propagating plants. And while spring plants would need to be set in the fall, for this summer you can still buy bagged or potted varieties to add to your lawn.

Before taking out your checkbook, inspect your planting area first. Unlike in the early spring when trees do not leaf out yet, when looking for summer plants you’ll have to consider foliage and the effect it will have because most areas are usually sunny.

One of the easiest plants to consider is day lilies if you find an area which is going to be sunny for the most part. While the original stock was tall, orange and only bloomed once, newer varieties offer a lot of options with the hardiness of the original. From nearly black to the palest pinks and yellows, these are among the colors you can find the day lilies of today. You can choose plants that are much shorter and those that will re-bloom as well. You don’t have to do a lot of digging and cultivating to prepare a place for them because their soil demands are not that high. They will extend their rhizomes and spread and can quickly fill in beds with their foliage, looking like some ornamental grass and then cover themselves in blooms by mid summer if you provide them with room to grow.

Hostas in all their varieties are an easy choice for shady areas. They rely on their foliage for their beauty, as their blooms are generally small, but the leaves come in many sizes and color combinations. Most have clumps of leaves about the size of your hand in various shades of green from yellowish to blue-tinted, or variegated with white or multi-tones. They may also be smaller leaves or giant leaves as large as plates. Periodically, you can dig for them and break them apart for new plants as you want to because they will make larger clumps of leaves each year.

You can transform your yard into a summer beauty with little work and just two types of plants, and all this without digging out the gardening tools every spring.

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Soundproof window treatments are cheap alternatives to other soundproofing materials. They may come in drapes, blinds or curtains. They are also configured in several attractive styles & colors to fit in any hut or office décor.

Soundproofing your pad or office need not be a time consuming or expensive task. Hare are some soundproof window treatments available from various dealers.

SoundElite’s Sound Absorbing Blind Systems:

These acoustically rated soundproof blinds would make for great window treatments. These blinds are not only innovations in acoustics but also an attractive noise control solution. They absorb as much as 80% of sound in a close position & 35 percent articulate speech frequencies. These blinds are easy to use, slim, have attractive design & efficient acoustical performance. The dimensions are 3 feet and 5/8 inches wide, 5/16 –inch thick and height of 12 feet. Check out these window blinds at smg-corp.com.

ACOUSTI-CURTAIN™ Sound Absorbing Drapery:

These soundproof drapes have lining fabrics & IFR or PFR face layer. They have wool core to absorb, filter & breakdown the harmful explosive organic compounds (VOC) from the air. They are made with materials that have excellent sound absorption. The core material of these drapes is wool fabric that is fire resistive & placed between a blackout liner and a ornamental fabric. The drapes are designed to reflect thermal energy as well as block light. Available colors are blackout satin, blackstone suede, synthetic velvets and poly muslin. Check for price quotes at acousticalsurfaces.com.

Climate Seal™ Acoustic Series Window Insert:

This acoustic window insert is designed for sound abatement. Its sound deafening performance covers all frequency levels while maintaining its master thermal properties and discreet look. It can abate noise by as much as 60 pct & reduce sound by 80 pct with its STC rating of 49. This window insert is suited for use in any commercial or residential setting. It is easy to get rid of if you want admittance to your primary window for maintenance or cleaning. Its exterior feature is a PVC-grade extrusion with ultraviolet stabilization & impact resistance. Know more about this product at acousticalsurfaces.com.

Noise Reduction Shades:

If you want to block the sound from a train, road or from your noisy neighbors, then these shades are for you. These cellular shades have excellent sound absorbing capability. They can also trap light, ultraviolet rays & sound. They are ideal for use as home theater blinds. Available colors are cloud, desert song, pale buttercup & cotton blossom. You can pay for these shades for a reduced price of $116.84 at blindschalet.com.

AlumaScreen 5% Solar Shades:

This solar screen shade has been fabricated with a metal backing & designed to control light, reduce glare and diffuse ultraviolet rays that enters into a room. The shade is made of 100 pct recyclable fabric, weaved & coated to better protect it & to make it smoother and more resistant to deformation. The available colors are beige, gray, black & white. Buy this shade for only $58.24 at blindschalet.com.

Window Plugs:

These free-hanging window covers are portable & custom cut to fit any window. These acoustical curtains are designed to effectively help block the noise that comes through your windows. They come with grommets for easy upright hanging from your wall. The edges of these curtains have velcroed seams to allow you to affix them directly to the walls to provide a tight seal. Some of the colour options are tan, gray, taupe, blue, red, green, purple and orange. Visit soundproof.com for more info.

You can locate a wide array of acoustic window treatments online where you can do your shopping the easy and quick way.