The heat wave is back in Sudbury, Massachusetts and across New England.  We hope these cool pools will help you beat the heat.  Just use your imagination and jump in!

All photos via Elle Decor.

Interested? Let Sudbury Design Group help you design and build your dream pool.  Our designs harmonize with your home’s architectural elements as well as the natural environment.

Move over horse shoes and croquet, cornhole is the hot backyard game these days.  In this game players take turns throwing cornhole bags (cotton duck bags filled with feed corn) at a raised platform with a hole in the far end. The simple game is a great entertainment for a backyard barbecue.

The game is said to have originated in the mid-west but its popularity is now nationwide.  The first documented Cornhole game was on the east side of Cincinnati and it quickly became a popular game for tailgaters at Cincinnati Bengals games. It was also sighted early on at Miami University parties.

A quick google search will unearth many commercial sources for purchasing the game, but we like this DIY project from This Old House. Make the project this weekend and have it ready for a Labor Day barbecue.

Click here for full directions.

Love outdoor lawn games?  Read more about them here.

You often see reference to landscape zones when you are reading about gardening or selecting plants.  But, what exactly is a zone? Zones are defined by the USDA so gardeners can compare their climate with the climate that a plant will thrive.  There are 11 zones throughout the US .  Each zone is 10 degrees warmer or colder than its adjacent zone. Choosing landscape plants that are known to thrive in your zone will greatly increase your chances of landscaping and gardening success.

Here is a link to the USDA Zone Map.  What’s your zone?

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