laying a brick sloped patio

QuestionI have an area approx 275 sq ft that we took out the lawn to lay a patio of 8 x 4 inch brick. The backyard slopes, we have two corners to deal with from the house. In addition and the cut w

Crepe Mrytle

QuestionCouldnt find an expert in this field, but hope you will be able to help. I have a Crepe Mrytle that I want to shape it to have a tree look, not a bush. When is the best time to do that and how would you do i

New Yard

QuestionMarc, I have just bought a home with a nice large back yard. It was landscaped a long time ago. The yard is divided with large grainy wooden steps that also line garden beds that extend to the sides. The wh

japanese maple

QuestionIs 3 to 4 feet away from the foundation of the house too close to plant a japanese maple? Thanks. AnswerDepends on the variety. There are many some only get 3 to 4 feet around others much larger. But

Good outdoor, low lighting,low maintenance plants

QuestionI live in a ground floor apartment. I have a roughly 4x12ft space that currently has just small rocks and dirt. I have a source for good composted topsoil that I plan to put in it so that I can grow some pla

Gravel path over tree roots

QuestionHi Jonathan, Im about to begin a gravel path to my backyard wildlife habitat. The path must cross two major tree roots - one blue spruce and one corkscrew willow. Because theyre major roots, I dont want to

Paver Installation

QuestionI have a house built in 1960 that has a concrete patio which has settled about 8 on the house side, including the steps. It is extremely expensive to either force the concrete up from below to even it

Railway Ties

QuestionWe have railway ties graduated as a retaining wall. They are very secure and no rot. Nothing wrong with them except they are ugly. What can we do to make them look nicer. We thought o

Plants for screens

QuestionHello. Have a pool going in, need some ideas for good screen bushes to block neighborhood views. Any suggestions? AnswerHey, Mark. Part of the answer will depend on where you are. However, Ive seen g

Cacti

QuestionWe have had a patio built under our deck. I have not monitored exactly how much sunlight it gets under there but my guess is not very much. We are very pleased with the patio, it has an area of 10ft X 20ft c

pink japanese magnolia

Questioni received a 3ft. tree? from a friend. im a little confused because the note w/it says 20/25ft. yet other websites say its a great shrub.is there a difference with the tree and the shrub. or is it how you gr

deck and huge tree

QuestionWant to build a deck in front of house, but have huge old Oak tree right in the middle of the house. How far away would the supports have to be in order not to kill this beautiful old tree? AnswerYou

Appropriate watering times for southern California

QuestionHi! Hope you are doing well! I have a question regarding the appropriate time of day to water and how long to water the plants and lawns during different times of year in Los Angeles. We have a gardener, ye

killing grass and mulching

QuestionWe are going to be mulching a large portion of our backyard for a playset, fire pit, etc. We need to kill the grass first. What do you think is the best way to do that? Is it necessary to p

Backyard drainage problems.

QuestionI live in Louisiana, where if wait you five minutes the weather is sure to change, and more than likely rain. The home that I purchased last year, has a flooding problem in the backyard. I have an 8 foot pri

raised beds against the foundation

QuestionDo I need to put plastic or something between the dirt and the foundation of the house with a 18 inch raised flower bed against it or is it ok to put the dirt against the foundation? AnswerHi Lorraine, the

Huge raised stair-stepped planters

QuestionI have a 2-story home with a large deck in the back. It has a above ground pool built into the center... Around the right side of the house going into to back yard there are stair stepped large planters th

Planting Monkey Grass

QuestionI live in Mississippi and would like to know how to plant and care for monkey grass. AnswerHey, Andrew. Monkey grass in your area should be very easy to grow. Over in Louisiana, Texas, and Florida, I used

Laying Rocks

QuestionI have a rectangle section on the side of my house near my drive way that I want to do something with. At first I had laid down mulch but that became messy and ugly. Then there were these rolly p

water fall

QuestionI am building a water fall out of flag stone to my pond and want to know if there is an additive to put in the mortar to make it more water proof? I am planing on using quick crete mortar. Any ad