Landscaping - By Category
Landscaping Pictures
My landscaping pictures, shot in yards from across America, present design ideas and are also useful in plant identification. Commentary accompanies the photos to help beginners make the difficult decisions that often plague us in DIY hardscape projects, in establishing new planting beds and in modifying existing planting beds.
Free Landscape Design Ideas
Use my free landscape design ideas as a springboard to improve the looks and functionality of your own yard. Since "a picture is worth a thousand words," I have packed this website with photos to facilitate the decision making process faced by the DIY homeowner. The suggestions I offer run the gamut from the formal style to the English country cottage look to landscaping for wildlife.
Flowering Shrubs and Evergreen Bushes for Hedges, Specimens
Flowering shrubs are associated with spring, which is misleading, as some are excellent fall foliage shrubs. Fothergilla, for example, blooms in spring but also flashes fall color when temps cool. And speaking of multi-season performance, do not forget evergreen bushes for the landscape, since these 4-season workhorses help form a yard's "bones."
Easy Solutions to Landscaping Problems, Free Landscaping Ideas
Got landscaping problems? Unless you're hiring professionals to solve them, you need free landscaping ideas. These easy solutions to landscaping problems cover slopes, shade and drought, as well as poor, wet or eroding soils. Or perhaps you need free landscaping ideas for dealing with snow or tree removal? You'll find easy landscaping tips here for all these and more.
Vines, Low-Growing Landscape Plants
Learn about ground covers, vines, low-growing annuals, perennials, herbs and other landscape plants. By "low-growing" I mean to exclude trees and tall shrubs. Intro to soil management, companion planting for landscape plants, sun and soil requirements for specific ground covers and other landscape plants, and the use of ground covers in areas with problems such as erosion included.
Lawn Care Tips
Beginners will want to consult these lawn care tips before trying to grow grass in their yards. Learn about aerating, weeding and seeding, fertilizing, laying sod, edging, mower maintenance, strategic mowing and more. If you're questioning the wisdom of even planting a lawn in the first place, I introduce you to some alternatives.
Flowering Ornamental Trees and Evergreens - Best Choices
"Ornamentals" is a subjective word in landscaping, as people's tastes differ; plus even fruiting specimens (which I introduce briefly here) can be very pretty. But my focus here is on non-edibles. Learn about the best flowering ornamental trees, as well as evergreens. My articles highlight some of the best choices, including berry-producers that draw wild birds, weeping specimens, dwarfs, and shade trees.
Stone Walls and Patios: Landscaping That Lasts
Do you get a certain kick out of building something that's going to last a long time? If so, then patios, stone walls, etc. are for you. In the articles below I detail such projects as building flagstone, brick or concrete patios. In the Stone Walls section, learn about building small retaining walls and the like.
Wooden Decks and Wooden Garden Arbors: Design, Building Tips
Wooden decks add lasting value to a landscape if you design, build and maintain them properly. They furnish your yard with more usable space, be it for entertaining, dining, or just lounging in the sun. Meanwhile, wooden garden arbors enhance a yard aesthetically if well placed and are great for training vines over.
Fence Designs: Choosing Between the Different Fencing Styles
Fence designs that catch your attention in other people's yards are probably those that are the most stylish. Indeed, the right fencing style can add beauty to your yard, and I introduce you to a number of styles in my photos. But I also help you decide on the design that will be most practical in your yard.
Backyard Water Features
Would you like to build a backyard water feature? Do you think such construction is beyond your DIY skill level or beyond what your finances can bear? Nonsense on both counts! Follow my simple instructions to learn how to build your own small water feature. I show you how to do it all at minimal expense.
Yard Maintenance Tips, Money-Saving Ideas, Safety
My yard maintenance tips span the 4 seasons (Old Man Winter makes us shovel snow in the North!). Consult the separate sections for spring, summer, fall and winter for tips that pertain specifically to those seasons. More generally, I address issues such as saving money and reducing yard maintenance.
Garden Pest Control for Domestic and Garden Pests
Garden pest control preferences vary greatly, especially when it comes to mammalian garden pests. Some people who will think nothing of killing insects will seek humane ways to control rodent or deer pests. Organic or "natural" predilections also come into play. I try to reflect this diversity in my articles.
Organic Weed Control
What's the best way to get rid of a particular weed? And what are the various organic weed control methods available to kill it? These are queries often posed to me, and I assist you in finding answers to them. But it's also important to identify weeds first and determine if killing them is even necessary; I offer aid on this score, as well.
Front Yard, Backyard Landscaping Help for Beginners
New to landscaping front yards and backyards? Discover some backyard ideas and learn landscape terms and scientific names. Beginners will find help through FAQs on front yard and backyard landscaping, and introductory pieces on landscape design, history and maintenance. You'll find access to book reviews and free online landscape design courses chock-full of backyard ideas.