re-designing a small front garden

Question Small front garden The small garden off my front porch never really looks completely right. Its approximately 15 X 20. The evergreen fixed plantings are a little gem magnolia & a dwarf & a semi-drawrf crypt

ugly catch basin cover by front porch

QuestionI need help in disguising/hiding the ugly concrete cover for a catch basin thats right off my front porch. We were letting the ivy grow over it to hide it, but some of the ivy was growing down into the drain

Bermuda grass seed

QuestionQUESTION: I told my landscaper to please spread some Bermuda grass seed (which I bought) on the naked areas (which there are a lot). After work (Im in the military so hours vary) I went over to inspect

leveling a patio

Questionwhat is the best and easiest way to level a 12x12 foot patio, prior to laying 16x16 inch tile? AnswerHi Hugo Ok, the easiest way to level a patio area is to find a desired level (0) and find a continuation

Tree Root Shielding

QuestionHi Jonathan, I have a triangular shaped flower garden about 15 feet off the southeast corner of my ranch house. The two long sides of the triangle are about 20 feet long while the short side is about 10 fee

crape myrtle shrubs

QuestionI am wondering if crape myrtle, either bushes or dwarf can tolerate swimming pool areas around the pool? Where we have in mind, there would be no pool water drain on them. Which would do better?

Retaining wall drainage

QuestionAbout to go to settlement on a home, and my home inspector noticed that the retaining wall on the property which is about 5 ft high in an L shape around the property has no drainage (weep)holes. Not sure wha

retaining wall flower beds

Question backyard I live in a subdivision, my backyard is extremely boring...I have a 26 x 15 paved patio behind the house. There are 4 wide flower beds between the house and the patio...I thought about building a r

flowering bushes

QuestionHi there. I was wondering what flowering bushes and perrenial flowers you would recogmend planting along with my blue spruce trees I have in my front yord. The trees are planted in trios and I wo

Weed fabric

QuestionWe are going to remove the old sod from our lawn and use gravel and low maintenance and watering plants. Do we need to put a fabric down after the sod is pulled up, or can we just use an organic type o

Creating a natural boundary

QuestionI have a house in Sedona, Arizona (high desert) on a small lot -- where my dining room, kitchen, and bedroom look out directly into the dining room, kitchen and bedroom of my neighbors house (which is only a

bark or mulch?

QuestionHI, WE ARE PUTTING DOWN LANDSCAPE FABRIC IN THE DIRT AREAS ( LONG STIPS 4FT WIDE AROUND THE PERIMETER OF THE GRASS ) WHE HAVE A MIN SCH. THAT IS ATTACHED TO HER PARENTS . SHE DOES NOT DIG OR CHEW AND STAYS I

block paving

Questioncan you mix cement with sand for in filling when brushing in between the blocks AnswerHi Eric Yes you can and really must mix cement with sand for brushing in between paving blocks. In its dry state cement

Sunken Patio Pavers

QuestionThree years ago I had a patio installed made of paving stone. Now several rows of pavers are sinking. Regular sand, not polymeric sand, was used and rain/snow have pushed out the sand. How can this be fixed

clear trail in woods

QuestionI may soon be buying a property that includes about 4 wooded acres. I would like to create a dirt walking path through the area. Can you recommend a relatively cheap and easy method to clear the path without

jungle in the backyard

QuestionHi Sean, we recently purchased a house. The problem is that the previous owners had tons of trees in the backyard which make it look like a jungle. Altough, I do like the privacy of our backyard in a way(our

staining stone

Question i have made a sign by embedding small local stones (3/4-1) in concrete to read Lake Marion (a memorial by a lake named for my wife). did not want to dye concrete, as ive seen such fade. but there is too lit

Installing a drip irrigation system

Question pvc pipe Hello! I have a fairly simple question. I know relatively nothing about landscaping and sprinkler systems. We live in Las Vegas and need a drip irrigation system set up, which I would like to do my

Value of my pines

QuestionHi, I hope you can help me out. I recently lost two mature, 100-120 ft pine trees in a hurricane. (They were yanked up by the root ball). The diameter of the trunks was about 24. My CPA is asking for a r

Using Lava Rock in Flower Beds

QuestionI recently decided to put black lava rock in my flower beds to avoid cats from coming in and doing their thing. My neighbor has over ten cats! My question is, should I put some type of fabric liner before sp