"bar" yards, pictures, and ideas...
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 slide… or maybe both, if the pool owner had gotten really wacky....
Outdoor Kitchens: Cooking Up Some Ideas
So you’ve decided to take the plunge and create your own outdoor kitchen? Good for you. Let’s face it, wheeling out that dusty grill every time you want to fire up some dogs and burgers is pretty lame. Permanent, built-in structures dedicated to outdoor cooking are all the rage, and it’s not a fad that’s going anywhere anytime soon. So strike while the grill is hot!...
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 enjoyment out of a beautiful yard....
Made For The Shade
One of the main reasons a lot of us do not spend more time outside is the heat. No matter how great your yard is, who wants to go hang out and get battered by the blazing hot sun? Shade is a necessity for any landscape that’s meant to be enjoyed. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that there’s a part of your yard right now that you would use more often… if only there was some shade overhead....
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’t something missing?...
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 bed....
Creating Privacy In Your Yard
Yards are simply an outdoor extension of your home. The front yard is like your porch…everyone can see it and walk up to it. But only those invited in can see the inside of the house…just like your back yard. So how do you create privacy in a yard where you have neighbors, streets, or public walkways within view?...
DIY Walkway in Your Yard
One way to significantly change your yard is to create a new walkway. Most people think of a walkway as simply a functional part of the yard that allows you to get from point A to point B without trouncing all over the grass, dirt, flowers, etc. But it also works as an accent to your overall landscape....
Martini Bar? Ice Sculpture? 30.
I turned 30 a couple weeks ago, and decided to throw a birthday party for myself and 3 other good friends also turning 30 in April. The theme was..."We're Turning 30 and Sophisticated". Our friends know that is one of the most absurd statements we could possibly say about ourselves, but it does open up the floodgates for some great party ideas....
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....
