Usage of Slate for exterior patio

QuestionHi Marc, We are working with a a landscaping firm to landscape/hardscape the exterior of our new-contruction home. We are planning on using a blue-gray slate for the exterior patio and courtyard area.  

curving driveway on steep hill

QuestionMy parents have a cement driveway that can be tricky to back out of. When it rains the grass and ground around it is extremely soft. Is there anyway to toughen up the edges aroud the drive. I was think

plant spacing for hedge

QuestionHi Sean I just purchase 100 3 gallon areca palm trees to build a hedge. The plants are about 3 ft tall. How close should I palnt these together to form a dense hedge? I live in southwest florida. Thank You i

Drainage in flower bed

QuestionMy home is 26x45 and has a front porch of 7. On one side of the house is a driveway and on the other side of the driveway is a ditch. In the front of the house is a sidewalk attached to the driveway. &

Steep downward short driveway...

QuestionWhat can you do with a front yard that is steep downward to the house? The primary problem is the short steep driveway that goes directly into the garage. I listed the house for a while and it ju

need 2 large photinia

QuestionOur Katy TX home backs up to strip center. Weve a tall brick fence and were nicely screened from view until we lost our large ornamental pear in storm last year. Have replaced with lovely large crepe m

pavers vs. flagstone

QuestionWhat are the similarities and differences in installing pavers and flagstone. What are any additional options or variations to certain steps of the installation process? AnswerFirst off, pavers as a w

Pavers and weeds

QuestionHey there Russel. I really couldnt find a category for my question so I picked you! Arent you lucky! I have that boring but annoying problem with weeds growing between pavers. I understand

Minimizing water in a very wet yard

QuestionQUESTION: Our back yard holds a lot of water. It will remain soaking wet for days after a rainfall. We need to put in foundation plantings and some type of drainage system. Please suggest s

landscape around air conditioning units

QuestionThe bushes around my outside air conditioning units are not doing well. I would like to replace them with flower plants. Do you know the purpose of planting bushes around the units? Do they help to retain so

boxwood hedge

QuestionWe have a 30 year old boxwood hedge in Naples Fl that is about 24 tall and doing well. I want to trim it down to about 12 to 15 to expose a beautiful water fountain. Is this to much to take off at one cuttin

retaining wall - water seepage

QuestionShould my retaining wall made from versa-lok mosaic stones seep water? AnswerYes and no, if done correctly and perfectly it should not seep water under normal circumstances. That means if it was built with

Dirt fill next to elastomeric stucco concrete blocks and walls

QuestionQUESTION: We are planning on filling our sunken yard area in with dirt to create a Mexican courtyard. On one side the fill will be placed next to a 3 concrete foundation which has been stuccoed with el

Hedge Row to Block Road Noise?

QuestionOur small Cape sits back from the road and our bedroom community has grown in the last few years - now there is an incredible amount of road noise at certain times. I thought planting a hedge row to help blo

finding a landscape architect

QuestionHow do i go about finding a landscape architect in my area. (Houston Area)Im looking for someone to do modern design with outdoor kitchen, pool and art or architectural feature. new and fresh, My home on ou

landscaping on a slope

QuestionI am afraid to do anything to my backyard because of the grade. My house sits on top of a hill in a subdivision where houses are fairly close together. My garage is around the back of the house,

Steep Driveway

QuestionWe have an extremely steep driveway leading up to our garage and house. The front yard, to the right of the driveway has one retaining wall in the middle. And the front porch area has a seating area with a f

Putting pavers on wood landing in front entrance

QuestionHello Sean, We are looking at putting pavers on top of our exisiting wood landing area in front entrance. Is it possible to reface the wood with pavers without removing the wood? AnswerI typically would not

Buffering road noise effectively

QuestionQUESTION: The side of our house is located on a busy street on top a sloping hill (with about a 5 rise) So far we have a 3 retaining wall next to the city sidewalk followed by a 15 span of mixed evergr

aggregate rock patio

QuestionHi My patio measures about 8 feet by 10 feet. I believe it is made of aggregate rock. There are a few faded places and I wanted to improve the look of it. Do you know of a