David's Landscaping Blog

It's pretty easy to keep track of the fish in a garden pond. If some fish are suddenly missing from your koi pond, you know they didn't just walk away! ... Read More

Marie Iannotti gives voice to a problem shared by many homeowners: "No space for a garden? What with the swing set, the patio, the tool shed, the dog...." But About's ... Read More

The rain showers are few and far-between. And being interested in water conservation (and/or saving money!), you're reluctant to put further pressure on your well or on the public water ... Read More

Raised beds boast a number of advantages over conventional planting beds, including better accessibility for people with bad backs, and easier pest control. Your raised beds can even double as ... Read More

Russian sage "is an airy plant that makes a great specimen. The lavender-blue works especially well with whites and yellows and with gray foliage," writes Marie Iannotti, About's Gardening Guide. ... Read More

Did you know that there are 3 different categories of plants for artificial ponds, including small container water gardens? Floating Aquatic Plants Surface Aquatic Plants Submerged Aquatic Plants In addition, other specimens exist ... Read More

Some of you plant-lovers out there may also be art-lovers and/or craft-lovers. If so, you may wish to learn how to draw flowers. Helen South writes, "Drawing flowers is surprisingly ... Read More

On some of these hot summer days, it doesn't take much to convince me that my favorite part of landscaping is finding an outdoor bench to lounge on, in a ... Read More

Do you have erosion problems? Or perhaps you want to maximize usable landscaping space by terracing? Learn how to construct retaining walls using interlocking concrete blocks in this tutorial from ... Read More

Michael Hillman relates an interesting story about how he and his wife stopped mowing their lawn -- I mean just plain stopped, cold turkey, and for good! "By the end ... Read More

Many folks who love plants also love watching wild birds. Growing plants that attract birds to your landscape, such as dogwood (pictured here), is a natural extension of feeding the ... Read More

I enjoy reading articles like this piece on transplanting landscape plants in summer by Marie Iannotti. It's easy to remind readers of the rule that transplanting landscape plants should be ... Read More

Northern white-cedar trees are native to the North American boreal forest. Northern white-cedar trees are "identified primarily by unique flat and filigree sprays made up of tiny, scaly leaves," writes ... Read More

Tips from Jackie Craven, About's Guide to Architecture, on selecting decking materials. Jackie provides an introduction to the use of high-end woods such as redwood and cedar wood as decking ... Read More

Beware of coming into contact with poison sumac or poison ivy when working in your yard. Contact with poison sumac can cause a rash that will be all too familiar ... Read More

So you want to build a berm? Learn about the design considerations, slope and drainage issues. This article on how to build a berm begins with a look at the ... Read More

Bluegrass is a widely planted type of grass. Bluegrass, however, is not very drought-resistant -- a major drawback in arid regions. But Coloradan horticulturist, Sherry Fuller writes, "There are at ... Read More

What's so special about the plants of China? Plenty. Many of you have, at some point or other, lived on a property where at least one of the famous plants ... Read More

As Marie Iannotti, About's Gardening Guide, writes in this article on astilbes, these perennial landscape plants work well in shade gardens, offering a textural contrast to hostas. Find out more ... Read More

I love trees. If there's a good "fit" for them in my yard, no amount of money could make me part with my favorite trees. Okay, perhaps "no amount" is ... Read More

Wish you could get a head start on the growing season by starting seedlings in a greenhouse? Well, learning how to build a greenhouse isn't really all that difficult. This ... Read More

Mike Nizza blogs that poison ivy "is flourishing this year, growing faster and more toxic, and a pair of studies flagged by The Wall Street Journal say an upswing in ... Read More

Butterfly bushes serve double duty. As their name suggests, these garden plants are magnets for butterflies. But landscaping with butterfly bushes also attracts another favorite of wildlife-watching aficionados: hummingbirds. And ... Read More

When a patio is out of date, what do you do? You have to decide between the costs of new patio construction or using patio plants (as in the ... Read More

Do you enjoy injecting an element of quirkiness into your landscape design? If so, you'll enjoy this article from Jill Dow. Jill adorns her patio every year "with different plant ... Read More

What landscaping tasks should you be performing in July? Well, that depends on where you live. That's the beauty of regional gardening calendars. Consult these July gardening tips to see ... Read More

Dogwood trees are among the most delightful specimens in the landscape. They flower profusely, have an interesting branching pattern, and attract birds. But dogwood tree care isn't problem-free. One of ... Read More

Crape myrtle trees are a popular choice for denizens of the Southern U.S., as their blooms persist through the heat of summer. Northerners can sometimes get away with treating crape ... Read More

"Xeriscaping" is sometimes mispronounced as if it read, "zero-scaping." This unfortunate mispronunciation conjures up images of a big fat zero -- a vast desert, with little landscaping interest. This misconception ... Read More

Need landscape design ideas for your yard? Study these photos illustrating landscape design ideas and learn about the concepts the pros employ. You'll find examples of the use of color, ... Read More