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You might not readily associate gardening and landscaping with skin care. If you are not well versed in the subject, there are things you should know about skin care while working on garden landscapes in order to protect your largest bodily organ. These tips will help you ensure your skin remains in wonderful, glowing condition while you maintain your garden landscape in lush beauty.

The Sun and Gardening

Sunshine makes our garden landscapes grow and thrive but it also can harm our skin. Many cases of various types of skin cancer are directly related to unprotected sun exposure.

Just as the sun dries the rain from the garden leaves, it can dry our skin causing rough, scaly, ashy appearance.  Over time, premature wrinkling develops causing the skin to make you look older than you real age. These are two of the most important things, second only to skin cancer, which you really must keep in mind about skin care while gardening.

Who should be most concerned about Skin Care and Gardening?

The answer to this question is: Everyone without exception. However, not everyone reacts to the sun exactly the same; some people are in greater danger due to sun exposure.

q          People who are light skinned with red hair are usually very susceptible to sunburn and skin damage from the sun.

q          Blue-eyed blondes should also be extra cautious about sun exposure when gardening and landscaping.

q          People with olive skin and brown hair tend to sunburn less easily but still risk skin damage to a high degree.

q          Those of Middle Eastern heritage with light brown skin and dark hair and eyes can stand slightly more exposure to the sun than those with lighter skin and hair.

q           People of African-American heritage but light shades of skin are quite susceptible to sun damage while those with much darker skin tones can withstand slightly longer exposure without damage.

It is still a hard fact that every single person, regardless of heritage, skin color, hair/eye color, or tendency to burn in the sunshine, will experience skin damage and risk skin cancer if they do not protect themselves from sun damage.

Here are ways to care for and protect your skin while caring for your garden and landscape.

Apply Lots of Sunscreen

Sunscreen is a must-have when working on garden landscapes. Even if the sky appears to be cloudy, the harmful ultraviolet rays penetrate the overcast and can cause skin damage or even sunburn. Before leaving the protection of your home for the garden to perform landscaping, apply on a strong Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of a top-quality sunscreen. Optimally, use a waterproof sunscreen if you will be outdoors long enough to perspire significantly or if the day is especially hot or reapply the sunscreen frequently to renew the protection.

Wear the Right Gardening Attire

The most important accessory for gardening skin care is a good, wide-brimmed hat. Straw hates breathe well but the weave should be tight enough to prevent a great deal of sun passing through the straw. A sunburned scalp is extremely painful and you want the shade from the brim to protect your face and the back of your neck.

While in the privacy of the backyard, many men find it tempting to garden shirtless and women often wear tiny swimsuit tops. Do not do this even though it may be cooler than wearing a shirt. Because your back is often the most exposed area when bending over to garden, protect it with a cotton shirt. Cotton breathes and draws perspiration away from the skin, helping cool the body, while providing protection from the harmful UV rays.

Kneeling in unprotected knees is a sure way to cause rough, dry knees. Wear loose-fitting cotton slacks and, if you will be kneeling for more than a few minutes, invest in a set of knee pads or a yoga mat which provides softness for your knees. No one wants to build up unattractive calluses on their knees. If you feel you really must wear short pants for gardening and landscaping, be certain to apply lots of sunscreen to your exposed legs.

Wear shoes rather than flip-flops. You can choose garden clogs which have holes to allow the feet to breathe or canvas tennis shoes but you need to protect your feet from sunburn, dryness, and protect them from tools and equipment you may be using. It really hurts if you happen to drop a small hand implement on your foot if you are wearing shoes with no top protection. Save the flip-flops and flimsy sandals for the beach or poolside.

Gloves are an absolute must for garden and landscape skin care. Working in the soil will quickly dry out the fragile skin of your hands and the sun can cause wrinkles on the back of your hands which really make your hands appear aged quickly. Also, you'll prevent painful blisters and calluses when shoving or grasping other tool handles.

Skin Care for After Gardening and Landscaping

There are also things you should know about skin care after your have completed your work on your garden and landscape. The care of your skin doesn't stop once you leave the landscape; in fact, proper skin care after gardening is just as important as while working in your garden and landscape.

Skin Care in the Shower or Bath

Once you go indoors, you want to wash the soil and perspiration from your body. If you have only been exposed to the sun for a short time, less than one-half hour, wait 20 minute before jumping in the shower or bath to allow your body to absorb the Vitamin D generated through sun exposure.

When showering or bathing, use a very gentle soap or body wash for cleansing. Harsh soaps remove too much oil from the skin causing flaking and ashy appearance after the skin dries. Also, many people shower or soak in the bath for much too long. Skin care professions and dermatologists now recommend that a shower or bath should last only as long as required to cleanse the body, normally less than 10 minutes. Professionals also recommend that water temperatures be tepid, which means lukewarm, rather than hot since hotter water is more drying. Once, or at most twice, per week, exfoliate the skin with a gentle exfoliating puff. Avoid hard scrubbing.

The scalp is an important part of skin care too. Use a gentle shampoo and only lather twice if your hair has gotten badly soiled from your gardening and landscaping tasks. In most cases, lathering once is enough and reduces dryness. Be sure to rinse extremely well.

After-Shower Skin Care

At this point, you probably are feeling great having accomplished a great deal in your garden and landscape and having enjoyed a good, refreshing body cleansing. Your skin care doesn't stop just yet, however. There's just one thing you should know about skin care after working on garden landscapes.

Lightly dry your skin, patting with an absorbent cotton towel. Do not rub and do not try to get the skin completely dry; dry only so that you are not dripped water. Apply a slathering of your preferred skin moisturizing lotion to your entire body. Moisturizers which contain Vitamin E are especially effective. You may have a different moisturizer you prefer for use on your face and neck area; if so, use that product for facial care.

Proper Skin Care While Working on Garden Landscapes Pays Off

If you follow these gardening and landscaping skin care guidelines every time you garden, whether the day is sunny or overcast, you will experience a big pay-off in younger looking skin which glows. If you have a light skin color which tans, you will develop a healthy level of tanning without harmful over-exposure. If your skin is dark, you will prevent the extreme dryness often caused by the sun.

Your skin will feel soft to the touch and you'll both look and feel attractive. Your odds of developing sun-related skin cancer will be reduced. Do keep in mind, however, that not all skin cancer is sun-related and everyone should have regular check-ups so their doctor can screen them for suspicious changes in the skin.

Your skin care routine during and after working in the garden landscape will prevent premature wrinkling of the face and hands. You'll look younger much longer than those who fail to protect their skin from the sun.

Implementing these things you should know about skin care when working in the garden landscape and afterwards costs very little and the pay off is really big when someone compliments you on your garden and landscape and also on your beautiful complexion!

Everyone wants to win the Yard of the Month Award. This coveted award is offered by many cities, towns, communities, and home owners associations for the yard in the area which has strong curb appeal, quality design, and has shown significant improvements over time.  If your community has an available list of criteria which are graded for choosing the Yard of the Month, see if you can obtain a copy, but in lieu of that, this "cheat sheet" will get you well on the road toward earning this coveted award.

Curb Appeal

q          Are grassy areas along sidewalks and driveways neatly edged? This is an absolute must. Carefully edged lawns look extra-neat and appealing. Do not scrimp on the time required to perform this task perfectly.

q          Is the lawn cut too short? A lush lawn requires that the lawnmower blades be set to a medium to high setting. Grass which is cut too short appears sparse and also is susceptible to insect infestations.

q          Are sidewalks, paths, and driveways free of trash and clutter? Nothing will count against you as much as having a bit of trash or clutter visible from the curbside. Remove any items not needed such as toys, buckets, trashcans which should be in the garage, or any other unattractive items.

q          Are there weeds present? Be sure your lawn is completely weed-free. Just one dandelion sneaking into the lawn and blooming can ruin your chances of winning Yard of the Month.

Trees and Shrubs

q          Is area around tree trunks properly groomed? If you have grass around the base of trees, you want to be certain to trim with a weed-eater for perfect grooming. If you have ground cover and borders or mulch under your trees, be sure the area is weed free and attractive. No matter the time of year, fallen leaves should be completely cleaned away.

q          Are shrubs properly groomed? Shrubs can be trimmed into any style you like from topiaries to simple flat top shapes, but they must be neat and recently groomed. They must add to the landscape rather than detract from it. If shrubs are located under the windows, be sure they are not taller than the bottom window sill. Shrubs should be healthy and have no deadwood or yellowed leaves so groom these away.

Flowering Plants

q          Are seasonal plants in bloom and properly groomed? The flowers which should be in bloom during the current season should be showing healthy, lush blooms. Any dying flower heads should be removed as well as any dead leaves. All weeds should be carefully removed.

q          Are the flowering plants placed in attractive layouts? Design your flower bed so that the various plants are planted attractively. Taller plants should be in the back of a square or long flower bed with smaller plants in front. For a free-standing flowerbed, tall plants go in the middle and smaller plants toward the outside.

q          Do the flower colors compliment one another and the home? Choose flowering plants so that the color scheme is pleasant and compliments the colors of the home. If your home is brick or white, any color scheme will blend well, but the flowers must still coordinate with the other flower colors.

Greenery and Decorative Grasses

q          Are vines and decorative grasses well-groomed? Vines should be wound around arbors or other stands which support their upward growth properly, displaying them optimally. Decorative grasses such as pampas grass must be perfectly groomed; remove any yellowing leaves leaving only healthy greenery.

q          Are decorative grasses used as borders groomed well? Often low-growing grasses are used as borders around flower beds or along walkways. These grasses also must be well groomed.

Lawn Decorations and Furniture

q          Are law decorations such as fountains attractive and well-maintained? A water fountain can be beautiful and provide water for wild birds. But it must be algae, leaf, and debris free. Do not place too many decorative objects on the lawn. One focal item is sufficient. Using several lawn decorations gives a cluttered look and takes away from a single great focal point.

q          Is lawn furniture neat and well maintained? If you have lawn furniture, benches, or even a porch swing visible from the front of the home, be sure it is in good repair and arranged attractively. In the case of a wooden swing, paint it if the paint is peeling or discolored.

If you follow the guideline in this How to Win the Lawn of the Month Cheat Sheet, your chances of earning the sought-after award are quite good. Skipping only one guideline can cost you the award, so be diligent and cover every base.

Baby Boomers are defined as the people who were born in the boom period during the post-World War II years. During this period of prosperity, many families increased the size of their families and lots of babies were born, making this a huge segment of the population. Today, these Baby Boomers are just starting to enter their retirement years. As each year passes, more and more Baby Boomers will enter retirement.

Unlike retirees of past decades, Baby Boomers are active, creative, innovative people who have absolutely no intention of rocking on their front porches or simply passing time playing shuttle board. They are active people who want creative, active outlets for their energies and want to remain younger-feeling for longer. They have no intention of becoming old gracefully but will fight the process every step of the way.

One creative outlet that Baby Boomers are turning to is gardening and landscaping. Those who had little time during their career years to enjoy these endeavors find they now have time on their hands they can use to beautiful their environment by becoming garden enthusiasts. As life-long learners, they are no daunted by the thought to learning or improving a skill and perfecting garden design and care.

Remaining Active and Healthy

Often in the past, retirees felt they were "too old" to tackle a new hobby. Today's Baby Boomers feel that remaining active will allow them to perform more activities for more years, extending their life spans and science has proven this to be true.

Some Baby Boomers lived in cities during their career years and had little or no space for landscaping. Often, these Boomers use their retirement savings and the proceeds from selling their city condos and co-ops to purchase a cottage with a large lawn or back yard. This provides them with the space needed to really get into their gardening endeavors.

Many Baby Boomers begin with small landscaping efforts, simply planting a few annuals or hanging baskets to highlight a veranda. Once the gardening bug takes over, they frequently expand their gardening enthusiasm into full-fledged landscaping projects.

Baby Boomers in comfortable financial situations create extensive gardening projects including vegetable gardens, herb gardens, flower gardens, shrubbery, topiary, and shade trees. Often they include water features, stone pathways, statuary, and truly creative along with automatic moisture-sensing watering systems and other features to make their gardens fabulous.

Baby Boomers who are not financially flush can still become garden enthusiasts. The costs of purchasing seedlings or seed packets are very minimal and the tools required for basic gardening are quite affordable. Watering with a common, inexpensive garden hose is perfectly functional for the low-budget Baby Boomer garden.

The exercise, bending, stretching, and moving about involved in gardening helps keep aging Baby Boomers active and energetic — just as it does for younger garden enthusiasts.

Enjoying Your Environment

Baby Boomers are eco-conscious in most cases and tend to create eco-friendly gardens, growing organic vegetables, creating their own compost, and even shredding their own mulch. This not only saves money but helps the environment.

As more and more Baby Boomers enter their leisure years, this emerging trend will increase. While these Boomers may well have many other interesting activities, you can be certain that many will include gardening and landscaping a large part of their entertaining and satisfying activities. They'll enjoy bouquets from their own flower gardens, produce and herbs that are truly fresh and pesticide-free, and brag to their friend of their efforts instead of complaining of retirement boredom.