Etc.

TIPS

Safe gardening tips

Gardening is physical labor, but it shouldn't be a strain. These suggestions will help you avoid sore muscles and injuries:

-- Stretch first to loosen muscles.

-- Change gardening stances periodically to use different muscles, such as alternating between right-handed and left-handed raking.

-- Keep tools close to avoid straining to reach them.

-- Pace yourself. Don't try to do everything at once.

-- Avoid working during the hottest part of the day.

-- Make a cooling collar by sewing a fabric tube and filling it with water-storing polymer crystals, such as Soil Moist. Soak the collar in water, chill it and place it around your neck.

Fighting black spot disease

Black spot disease in roses arrived with the early heat and humidity. Take steps now to keep the fungus in check for the rest of the year.

Remove and bag yellowing leaves, and spray the leaves and plant bases with a fungicide formulated for black spot. Organic alternatives include horticultural oil and sulfur sprays.

Prune roses to open up the bush's center. When planting roses, choose varieties resistant to the disease and place them in a sunny location.

TOOLS Get organized

Prevent a tangle of tools in your garage with the Rubbermaid Tool Tower. Assemble this organizer without hardware or tools in less than five minutes. It has 15 handle guides for brooms, rakes and shovels; 18 small tool slots; one extension cord wrap; a recessed area for a weed trimmer or edger; and a recessed area to hang tools with large handles.

The Tool Tower is available at Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse for $19.88.

A treat for your knees

Gel Super Cushion Knee Pads by Nailers. Imagine wearing a pillow on each knee when kneeling on concrete, gravel, lumpy mulch, etc. That's luxury! These knee pads are easy to put on and take off because of hook-and-loop closures, and they aren't too heavy or clumsy to wear while doing other tasks between bouts of kneeling. A plastic shield on the front makes them suitable for outdoor work ($34; True Value Hardware or www.nailersrock.com).

CLIPPINGS

Occasional excerpts from fertile sources.

Landscape Planning: Practical Techniques for the Home Gardener, by Judith Adam. Firefly, $27.95.

"Considering the expense of lumber, it's worth looking at metal fencing. Traditional iron fences will stand for a century, although their high cost may put them out of reach. The new aluminum fences are an affordable and attractive alternative and, best of all, are maintenance free. Wood can be left raw, but applying a wood preservative every third year extends its durability."

-- Knight-Ridder and the Washington Post contributed to this report.

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