You probably see them every year at your local garden supply store. Rolls and rolls of synthetic, usually plastic barriers that promise to keep weeds at bay and minimize the maintenance of your garden. At first glance, landscaping fabric might seem like an ideal solution to an age old problem. But does it deliver? Many… Read more »
As the days cool and foliage thins out, the fall is a perfect time to do some seasonal yard maintenance. Unfortunately, by the time you remove dead growth from trees, rake leaves and prune bushes, you can wind up with a whole new job on your hands: getting rid of all that waste. After all,… Read more »
Installing landscape lighting in your yard is a great way to add a warm ambiance to the space in the evenings. It can also make dark pathways and steps easier to traverse at night. Before you invest in landscape lighting, however, it’s a good idea to do some preliminary planning to ensure the finished product… Read more »
We’re already halfway through September and summer is almost at an end. That means it’s time to start rethinking our lawn-care strategy for the fall. This is an excellent opportunity to prepare your lawn for dormancy in the winter so it will come back green and healthy when spring rolls around. As the relentless heat… Read more »
Chemical pesticides might be pretty good at keeping invasive insects at bay, but for those of us who have pets and children around the house, they might not be the best option. These pesticides rely on harsh chemical compounds that are poisonous not only to the insects in your yard, but to any other organisms… Read more »
These days, gas-powered lawnmowers are about as ubiquitous as driveway basketball hoops and SUVs in American suburbia. You might see the occasional homeowner mowing their postage stamp lawn with an electric alternative, but by and large gas-powered motors are the norm. Just a few short decades ago, however, the push reel mower reigned supreme. You… Read more »
For first-time homeowners, it can be tricky to know how to handle your lawn during a drought, and if you don’t know what you’re doing it’s easy to overwater. Here are some easy ways to protect your lawn during a drought and avoid watering too much, or too little. You have two options when it… Read more »
For novice gardeners, one of the hardest things to learn to do is how to prune your garden effectively because, let’s face it, it doesn’t feel natural to cut away at a living plant! But pruning is an important step in keeping your garden healthy and thriving, so here are some tips to help you… Read more »
You may think that mowing the lawn is as simple as “cutting the grass when it gets too long,” but it’s actually a little bit more complicated than that, and if you’re not careful, you can actually do more harm than good to your lawn. Avoid these five common mowing mistakes, and your summer grass… Read more »
Over the course of the past ten years, the idea of of the smart house has emerged from the pages of science fiction and found its way into our living rooms. These days, tech savvy homeowners can control everything from their HVAC systems to kitchen appliances and light fixtures at the touch of a button,… Read more »
Mulch is the icing on the cake of our flowerbeds and trees. It adds an aesthetically pleasing touch to landscaping projects that would otherwise look bare and unfinished. What many amateur lawn care enthusiasts don’t realize, however, is that mulch performs a number of important practical functions as well. We don’t just mulch because it… Read more »
Many homeowners are all-too familiar with this coarse, sprawling weed. Crabgrass is one of the most common invasive grass species in the world, and if left unchecked it can utterly overtake a lawn. Originally introduced in North America as a food source brought by Eurasian emigrants, crab grass has since outlived its usefulness and become… Read more »
