"oak" yards, pictures, and ideas...
How To Water Your Lawn For The Best Results
Much stress is placed on our water systems during warm summer months. Many homeowners who water their lawns use as much as 80 percent more water during the summer than they do in cooler seasons. But the average homeowner often waters his lawn too frequently, too lightly and at the wrong time of day, wasting water and creating an unhealthy environment for their grass....
How To Grow A Giant Cabbage
The first thing of course is the seed. I use "Daneli Seeds, Anchorage", which has a cabbage called OS Hybrid Cross. We grow much larger cabbages in Alaska because of the long, long hrs of daylight...20 hrs of direct sun in June!...
Barbecue Time! Coke-Brined Chicken
Looking for a tasty twist to traditional barbecued chicken? Hit the soda aisle of your grocery store. This cola-tinged twist has become a summertime favorite at our house. It’s perfect for a cookout, with a few unusual techniques that will have your guests crowding around the grill as it cooks and talking it up long afterward....
Birds, Butterflies and Bats: Welcome Them to Your Garden
With the continued growth in population throughout our country, many wildlife species face increasing pressure from lack of natural habitat—the number one threat to wildlife today. So creating welcoming places for these wonderful creatures in your yard—no matter how small—will help......
How To Grow Exotic Air Plants
All they need is the air they breathe, bright light—but no direct sun—and a bath two to three times a week. Do not add soil; they’ll just hang out wherever you plop them down and in whatever container you plop them in....
Keeping the Kids in Mind
I grew up next door to a vacant lot. On any given weekend, it was a football/kickball/wiffle ball field, home to dawn-to-dusk “capture the flag” marathons, a BMX test track, an obstacle course, hide-and-seek homebase, or the site of our neighborhood Olympics. Maybe vacant lots are just rare these days… or maybe today’s kids demand more than an abandoned field to play in. Whatever the reason, more and more folks are dedicating parts of their yard to the smallest members of the family....
The Thrill of the Grill
“Ah, spring. When a YardShare member’s fancy turns to thoughts of grilling.” (With sincere apologies to Alfred Lord Tennyson.) Nothing stokes a case of spring fever like a column of fragrant smoke wafting over the fence from your neighbor’s BBQ. If this is the year you’re planning up to upgrade your grill, you’ve got plenty to think about....
Outdoor Kitchens: Rock On!
In our last article on outdoor kitchen construction, we explored the ins and outs of framing a BBQ island. Whether you opt for concrete block or steel studs for your island’s inner framework, the outer skin that you use to cover that skeleton is what makes the difference in your finished landscape. I hope you love this article ...
Landscaping with Trees
Ah, the trees. They bud out to let us know spring is coming, they shade us in the summer, they put on their own little fireworks show in fall, and even when they’re bare, they provide interest and structure in the dead of winter. But not all of us are blessed with tall mature trees in the landscape like WhackyWaco in Plano, TX. Check out those live oaks and tell me they’re not the focal point of that front yard......
Killer Looks For Concrete
Concrete. It’s cold, it’s grey, it’s boring. Hold onto those suppositions for just a moment. It’s been calculated that concrete is the second-most-consumed substance on earth, behind only water. Or think about it this way: there is almost one ton of concrete produced for every single human on the planet… EVERY SINGLE YEAR....
