10 Best Trees for Brilliant Fall Color - Opinion | Alpharetta-Milton, Georgia Patch

10 Best Trees for Brilliant Fall Color - Opinion | Alpharetta-Milton, Georgia Patch 

Every year thousands travel to experience the golden fall foliage of the New England countryside.

Now, enjoy the painted leaf landscape in your own yard by planting consistently vibrant trees. The trees below deliver the most spectacular shades of scarlet, fiery orange or rich yellow, are easy to care for and maintain a unique look each season.

Here are the top 10 trees to plant for show-stopping fall color. Plus, here are some insider tips on planting trees from the certified arborists at The Davey Tree Expert Company.

1. Maple is the quintessential tree for fall color. Maple trees demand attention with bright apricot leaves that contrast with burnt orange. Maples come in a variety of sizes, so they work in any landscape.
2. Sweetgum is a fast-growing tree with glorious, red leaves that pop in autumn. Sweetgum trees have glossy, star-shaped leaves that stay longer on the tree—allowing you to bask in the dynamic colors into late fall.
3. Sweet Birch turns brassy yellow in the fall. Sweet birch trees offer copious amounts of shade in the summer, fend off the bronze birch borer better than any other birch, and have a sugary sap that can be used to brew homemade birch soda.
4. Katsura welcomes autumn with a spicy-sweet smell and tangerine color. The katsura tree grows in a pyramid like shape with an extraordinarily straight trunk and heart-shaped leaves.
   
5. Ginkgo trees showcase a lustrous yellow on their fan-shaped leaves every fall. With the ability to grow up to 80 feet tall, ginkgos fiercely resist insects, disease and pollution.
6. Smokebush transforms into a crimson red after a summer sprinkled with yellow flowers. Smokebush is a shrub that can be pruned into a small tree with the help of a certified arborist.
7. Witch hazel is a small tree with big yellow color. Witch hazel offers the full package, complete with fragrance, flowers, and glowing color in every season.
8. Red-Twig dogwood features ruby red leaves and then unveils red stems. This dogwood blossoms with clusters of white flowers that mature into plum-colored fruit to attract birds in spring.
9. Sassafras trees repel mosquitoes and dazzle with pumpkin-colored leaves of various shapes. Sassafras smells heavily of licorice, which makes it a delightful treat for wildlife.
10. Redbud has goldenrod leaves in the fall and delicate pink flowers in the spring. The redbud tree is a small tree with a rounded crown and a forked, light-colored trunk.

How to Plant New Trees and Shrubs

In many parts of the country, planting trees and shrubs in early fall gives plants a head start at establishing roots in the season's cool, moist soil—and allows you to revel in their autumn hues.

• Dig a hole (twice the diameter and to a depth of two inches less than the full height of the root ball).
• Position the shrub in the hole (make sure the top of the root ball remains at, not below, ground level).
• Fill in with soil and water to settle soil.
• Add more soil to top of root ball (don't pack soil down with foot).
• Cover the planting hole with one to two inches of shredded hardwood or leaf mulch. But don’t over mulch the tree or “volcano” mulch. Keep the mulch two to three inches away from the trunk or the trunk will rot.

Always talk to a certified arborist. Contact your local Davey professional with any tree service concerns as you plant your landscape this fall.

Vacation for Nothing Without Time Off

New Outlook on Vacationing

The economy is growing right along with workload. This is good news, right? Of course, this is great news, but it means taking a vacation is practically impossible. Daydreaming you're at the beach in some background desktop photo on your computer for a few moments is downright sad and only reinforces the idea you have no vacation. 

Childhood Inspirations

Transporting myself into the private beach photo  is probably out of the question. This leaves me with nothing but thinking back to the many hours I spent as a child on my grandmother’s porch at her beachfront house listening to the soothing sound of waves break.

Vacationing Daily

Reminiscing about these times brought me to an obvious conclusion. You don’t have to leave home to create and experience your very own oasis. Just like waves crashing, I love the sounds of a  heavy rainstorm or the many sounds resonating from the woods on a summer night.  To add, wouldn't it be great to have a entertaining area with Tiki torches and outdoor furniture for friends to come over and sit back and enjoy a nice cold drink with a sizzling steak right off the grill.

Creating Your Destination

First, I need to create a private and enjoyable retreat at home to do just these things. That’s simple -- build an outdoor living center with a screen porch. Enclosing part of the deck and then installing a pergola or ultra lattice over a portion will give me both a more private intimate area and an open area for entertaining.

It doesn't cost anything to have someone come out , design my new outdoor living area and give me an estimate.  That’s a good place to start. They will have sample materials and 100s of different options to choose from ranging from choice of materials to sunroom styles, e.g., traditional, Florida, 3 Season, screened patios to screened porches, under decking and much more. Find out what you can build and the cost for free by completing the form below.

foxyform

Enjoy Your New Oasis 365 Days a Year

You can feel safe with the excellent workmanship and what vacation comes with a lifetime warranty. Depending upon your selection, your new private outdoor living area has a lifetime warranty.  For the same amount of money typically spent on the average vacation, you can create all of this, have it year-round to enjoy and increase the value and investment in your home with added living space. Sure, I will make it back to the beach one of these days, but this will turn out pretty well too.

The Life of a Demonstrator

Staying true to form, blogs are going back to their roots. What are those roots? That is telling a personal story and not just adding to the million pages of paraphrased content already out there. Therefore, I have decided to share my story for one day – a day from the life of a demonstrator at Home Depot.

What is a demonstrator?

If you have ever been to The Home Depot, I am sure you have seen the poor soul standing at a table displaying some product or been approached by someone pitching a product. This is a demonstrator.

Why do we do this?

Unlike free food and recipe ideas in grocery stores or similar setups in similar stores – some products just can’t be stacked on a shelf. In my case, it is sunrooms, screen rooms, patio covers, ultra lattice pergolas, under decking and more. Uh oh, there I go pitching in this very blog.

I mentioned poor soul earlier. I know most of you customers don’t see us in this light. You see an annoying sales person that you must avoid at all cost. That is the very reason we are poor souls. We know that we are annoying and you would rather avoid us, but as with anything, we must fulfill our jobs.

What is my only desire?

Just know that we, meaning demonstrators, really do not want to bother you. We are trying to inform you of the many other wonderful services and products that Home Depot has to offer. You may be surprised how often customers find amazing promotions and projects they are truly interested in just by allowing us to engage you in conversation and opening a dialog.

Want to learn more about our products and services, click here?

Isn’t my deck by itself good enough?

There is no arguing that a really nice deck can make a backyard and home much more beautiful.

However, does it make it more livable? That is the main question you should ask yourself. When you are in the middle of full-on summer, will you really get much enjoyment sitting directly in the sun? Yes, you can sun bath or grill out, but why not do these things and more?

Adding a patio cover or pergola over part of or over the entire deck multiplies the benefits. To begin with, you now have shaded areas that offer anywhere from 20 – 30 degree temperature differences compared to being in the full sun. It doesn’t stop there. Adding an outdoor ceiling fan even makes it better. You now really have an outdoor living area.


Partial areas can be blocked off for privacy with oversized ferns, palms, border walls and other areas can remain open for entertaining on any occasion.  Outdoor patio furniture can remain truly outdoor furniture year-round. How many times have you started to grill and all of the sudden you find yourself fighting time against an approaching thunderstorm? You no longer have to worry about issues like this or rained out parties. Everything and everyone is now protected from the elements.

With summer just weeks away, I know you don’t want to hear about heat, but even with winter months, rain or snow, you still have an enjoyable living area with a fire pit or outdoor heater to keep you toasty and warm.

Backyard living is a very trendy subject in today’s home improvement projects.

A deck is just a deck. Add depth and dimension with a patio cover and/or pergola and you now have added square footage that adds to the value of your home and makes it much more attractive. If you ever decide to sell, your home value has now increased. Contact Factory Direct Remodeling of Atlanta to get started turning your backyard into a truly enjoyable living area regardless of the weather.

Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Choose Aluminum Patio Covers and Pergolas vs. Wood

Aluminum construction has many advantages over its wood predecessor

Various textures and colors give you an endless array of options and finishes. For completely seamless integration, veneers can also be added to match the existing exterior of your house, e.g., brick, stucco, siding.

1. 200% stronger than traditional stick built construction
2. Materials cost and construction is a fraction of the cost.
3. Resistance to natural weathering
4. No maintenance with the exception of occasional cleaning
5. Impervious to boring and nesting insects
6. Wood construction is subject to fire damage and termites
7. No refinishing every 2 – 3 years common with exterior paints and stains
8. No splitters, rusting nails, warping, bowing and rotting common with traditional wood
9. In addition, warranties are available which is never the case with traditional construction
10. Aluminum is also superior to steel in that fact that corrosion and rust are not common

All of these benefits, the durability and overall lack of maintenance involved makes Factory Direct Remodeling of Atlanta #1 in patio cover, pergola, under decking, sun room and screen room additions. While wood is not the most favorable choice for construction, we do have solutions for building with wood. In these cases, we use only the highest quality treated wood with a special patented finish that will last for years to come. At Factory Direct Remodeling of Atlanta, we use only the best material.

Expand Your Living Area to Your Backyard

Expand Your Living Area to Your Backyard

Boring concrete slabs are a thing of the past. Right now, custom patios are one of the hottest trends in the housing market. There are endless options that can be shaped to accent any home, lawn and garden.

 A custom patio truly is an extended living area if planned and built correctly. There are a lot of things to consider, e.g., facing east or west, privacy measures, intended use. In addition, the patio doesn’t even have to be attached to the house. It can be hidden away in a little nook for a private sanctuary.



The two most common requirements are an entertaining area and a private area. This can be achieved with half-walls of stone, plants with a lot of foliage, i.e., large fern, and a patio cover or pergola for privacy from above.

Use large ferns or other plants for
additional privacy

To really make your patio inviting, you have your choice of traditional brick pavers, stone pavers or even colored concrete. If you already have a concrete slab, it can be stained for a unique look or color can be added when the concrete slab is put in place. Once you have the basic layout completed, add a fire pit and small fountain or pond to complete the package. Both items are great for entertainment and fountains work great for drowning out noise.

To get started, you only need to request a free in-home estimate and go from there. Factory Direct Remodeling of Atlanta has 100s of patio options.

Aluminum vs. Wood Pergolas

Aluminum composite pergolas, patio covers, under decking, screen rooms and sun rooms are far superior to wood products. 



Pergolas build to last 25+ years

First, there is no chance of termite damage an insects cannot bore or nest in Factory Direct Remodeling of Atlanta’s high-grade aluminum products.

Second, aluminum requires no maintenance and does not rot, fade or require treatment like it woof predecessors.

Third, aluminum is a fraction of the cost and built to withstand extremely high winds.

Finally, the aluminum products available today can be made to look like any material and in most shades of color.

We have customers who recently suffered tornado damange in 2011 and their aluminum sun rooms are still standing and that is their current living area since the traditional wood build structure is completely gone.

We are happy to hear from customers with both products. Tell us what you think.