Contributing writer Matt Lee has some good backyard flooding solutions that might help during those times when the rain doesn’t seem to stop. Flooding is a problematic occurrence. The rainy seasons can come with torrential downpours and powerful winds which will put a damper on your landscape investment. Homeowners are likely to focus more on the […]
If it is spacious enough to keep few plants, big enough to give a lovely view from your living room, and huge enough to make sitting, then your garden is not small, in fact, it is perfect. Treating it right is all you need to do and you can add a ‘WOW’ factor in it. […]
Many gardeners like to have small koi ponds. Here are some great tips and tricks for cleaning a koi pond.
The fight between gardeners and pests is a long one. While there are many effective ways to deal with pests, many of them have adverse effects on the environment. As gardeners we have a keen interest in nurturing the environment – that’s the whole point. Going organic with your pest control makes sense. But is […]
I’ve been sending emails back and forth with some folks about different ideas for backyard pond and water feature ideas. The result is this very nice guest post. Enjoy! Inspiration: Backyard Pond/Water Feature Ideas By Tim Smith There’s good reason why people seek out the ocean, rivers and lakes: the flowing water is just simply […]
Farfugium japonicum var. giganteum is the name, but sometimes you see these plants called Ligularia or leopard plant. Growing in zones 6-10, Farfugiums grows on thick stalks about a foot and a half to two feet tall. Our’s started off at about a foot tall and has since grown to the promised two feet or […]
Do you have paths in your garden? Do you have certain routes that you always take when going from one part of the yard to another? Do they look more like trails than paths? Worn areas that have been trampled down from repeated use? If so, here is a sure fire way to convert those […]
It must be spring. The sounds of garden equipment on Saturday mornings and folks standing in lines at local nurseries. And as yards are greening up and new plant growth is seen everywhere, the bare spots from last year’s failures and winter’s destructive nature seem to stick out like a sore thumb. Here are a […]
“Sunny Wind Hibiscus is one of a group of compact tropical hibiscus called Trade Winds Hibiscus. Grown by Green Leaf Plants, the Trade Winds Collection contains different shades red, yellow, peach and orange hibiscus. Last I counted, they had 18 varieties. We have the Sunny Wind hibiscus. How we got it was a matter of […]
I must admit that none of our re-purposing or recycling projects for our outdoor decorating spaces have turned out as nice as the two examples shown below. However, when I was reading about these spaces, I realized that the ideas behind their design offer some good tips and ideas for creating an outdoor space that […]
A few years ago we started growing bamboo, both clumping and running. One of the byproducts from trimming and thinning out the clumps is bamboo poles. We’re starting to build a collection that range from six to twenty feet tall. Next year we should be getting even larger and taller poles. I’ve had several ideas for […]
We have a deck that sits anywhere from four to five feet above ground. Sitting on the swing, looking across the deck and out over the back yard is a common way to pass time around here. For privacy and some shade, a couple of years ago we planted two clumps of Bambusa chungii ‘Barbellata’. […]