Water Garden Pictures & Design Ideas
Are You Water-Wise? A Look at Xeriscapes
There is no commodity more precious to us yard lovers than water. But with many areas around the country experiencing severe drought conditions in recent years, professional landscapers and backyard gardeners alike have had to find ways to make the absolute most out of every drop....
Everything Zen - A Look at Japanese Zen Gardens
Searching for unique ideas on what to do with that small, secluded corner of your yard? Look to the East. Asian-themed gardens are prized for their simplicity, their meditative peacefulness, their effortless flow, and their exquisite balance of traditional elements. While designing a true Japanes...
Just Add Water
In the Biblical story of creation, water shows up on the universe’s very first to-do list on, like, the third day. So why is it that so many backyard landscapers forget to include it entirely?...
How Cool Is Your Pool?
There may not be a landscape feature that allows for more wild creativity, extreme customization, and personal expression than a swimming pool. It used to be that the only pools you saw were either above-ground circles or in-ground rectangles. There might have been a diving board or a big plastic ...
A Thousand (or slightly fewer) Points of Light
Unfortunately, many of us don't think about "lighting" in our landscapes except for the month of December, when we drape a few measly strings of half-twinkling bulbs over our evergreens or, at the other extreme, fire up an animatronic-reindeer display that would put Clark Griswold to shame. But you...
Quick Tips for Designing an Eco-Friendly Garden
What Makes a Garden Organic? - An organic garden is one in which you do not use synthetic products on the plants or soil. Synthetic products include things such as pesticides and fertilizers. Essentially, an organic garden is designed to replenish the resources it uses....
Drainage Dilemma
Drainage is a huge consideration when it comes to almost any landscaping project. One professional landscaper I know has told me that drainage is far and away the top item that he fields calls about. Seems like everyone thinks they have some sort of drainage problem… but do they really?...
Your Own Wild Kingdom
A lot of us look at our gorgeously-planted and perfectly-manicured yards and think, I could just about live out here.; Well, for many wild animals, your landscape really is their home. And inviting the local wildlife to hang out and share our outdoor spaces is just another way to get a lot of enjo...
Go On, Be a Pot-Head
So you finally created that perfect little spot in the backyard, just in time for summer. Maybe it is a big flagstone patio for parties, maybe it is a brand new deck, or maybe a cozy little terrace made from tumbled pavers. Looks great. Lots of room. Nice seating. Can’t wait to use it. But isn’...
Front Yard With a Side of Veggies
My daughter came home from kindergarten announcing that we needed a vegetable garden. The class had dropped a few seeds in some plastic cups and set them on the windowsill. A few days later, I’d been recruited to become Farmer Brown....
Lawn Gone!
A sprawling, lush carpet of thick, green grass is as much a part of the American Dream as white picket fences, cul-de-sacs, and minivans with built-in DVD players. When everything is right, lawns look awesome....
Know Your Zone!
It's time for me to let you in on a little secret...I'm not a landscaping or gardening expert! I'm learning this along with you guys! For example, prior to starting YardShare, I had no idea what a "zone" was. Thank goodness a few of you have patiently explained it to me....
How to Put In a Flower Bed
A bed line not only separates the lawn from your flower beds, a well designed bed line gives form to the yard. It shows that thought was put into the beds and landscaping, and that the shrubs weren’t planted just anywhere. It's a great way to turn a bare corner of the yard into a beautiful flower be...
Caring For Your Deck
Imagine having guests over for a bbq in your perfectly manicured backyard, but they glance down to find your deck splintering and turning grey. Realistically, your deck probably doesn’t look that bad, but I wanted to provide a few general tips to help make sure that doesn’t happen....
Barbecue Time! World's Easiest Ribs
If you eat meat...you love ribs, right? But if you're like me, you may struggle with the juggling act of ensuring the meat gets cooked, but at the same time keeping the ribs tender. Well, here's a method that will get you the tenderness you desire, but still have that bbq flavor you want....
