"small" yards, pictures, and 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 Japanese Zen garden can take years of study and a lifetime to execute to perfection, borrowing a few key elements to put in your own landscape will almost certainly make a dramatic statement....
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 slide… or maybe both, if the pool owner had gotten really wacky....
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 your landscape doesn’t just stop when the sun goes down....
Mow, Blow, and Go
Most of us have an established yardwork routine. This is especially true for mowing. We start in the same spot every week, take the same paths, cut the same rows in the same order, and end in the same spot every time. Then maybe if you're up for it, you break out the trimmer and take down those scraggly weeds around the fenceposts or trees. Then you blow it clean and call it a day....
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 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....
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....
