"spa" yards, pictures, and ideas...
Three Ways To Avoid Pergola Purgatory
A pergola is more than four posts and a roof. This “hardscaping” feature only works if it’s done right. Here are tips to keep in mind when you are constructing yours......
Peering Into The Void – Landscaping Large Spaces
Questions about how to make the most of a small space are pretty common. But it can be just as hard - and much more expensive - to landscape a large yard. If you are staring out at a great, yawning expanse of lawn, here are some ways to fill in the blanks....
Color Your Garden
Do you remember the “color wheel” you were introduced to back in your school art classes? If so, it will come in handy this spring when you’re designing a new, colorful garden spot or revamping a tired-looking border. If your memory needs a little prodding, here’s a short refresher course......
Making Plans, Designing and Creating a New Garden
Whether considering a small space or a complete yard make-over, you’ll need to assess and analyze the area—or areas—of your landscape that you are wanting to enhance or in which you’re going to create a new garden....
Pool Landscaping with Shapes and Colors
“Oasis”, “tropical resort”, “paradise” - pool owners tend to get a little carried away in describing their backyard. But some folks really do manage to create a poolside Shangri-La. How do they do it?...
Springtime Yard Spruce-Up
Spring is just around the corner. How far around the corner depends on countless celestial and meteorological factors, plus, of course, whatever a certain furry resident of Punxsutawney, PA had to say about it this year. (Fun fact: Phil has predicted correctly only about 39% of the time since 1887. So you may not want to take him to the track and let him pick the ponies for you. Just sayin’.) Large rodent shadows notwithstanding, spring is, in fact, coming. I know you’re ready. But is your landscape?...
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....
Don't Take Your Countertop for Granite
In many landscapes, the outdoor kitchen is the focal point, the centerpiece, the crowning touch of a painstakingly-designed and highly-anticipated entertainment space. And sometimes, it needs just that little extra something to make it really pop. More and more grilling stations and exterior bars are getting graced with granite as that final detail that puts it over the edge and takes it from so-so to sssssweeet! ...
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....
All Decked Out
For easily-accessible outdoor entertainment space, it’s hard to beat a deck. As a rule, decks typically feel more like a part of the house than a part of the garden. But if you have a deck, there’s probably no better vantage point from which to view your garden… and there may be no part of your outdoor space where you spend more time....
