redesigning our front beds

QuestionWe recently bought a home and cant stand what the previous owners had for landscaping in the front yard! All of the bushes are deciduous and our house looks so bare in the winter! We are going to redo the fr

Landscaping in the Salt Lake Valley

QuestionDo you have any general advice for us here in the high desert Wasatch front (South Salt Lake County)? We are landscaping our yard and arent very skilled in horticulture. Also, we dont have much

landscaping fill

QuestionI am currently trying to replace some plants in an area that when it rains water runs through the landscaped area. What Im trying to find out is what would be the ideal plant for this area? The plant would h

third party qualifying a license

QuestionI am about to buy a landscaping contracting business in Florida and the current owner assures me he can qualify the license for me. I have to pay him an ongoing fee even though he will not be involved

Dwarf Japanese Maple question

QuestionQUESTION: Carlo, We have a Dwarf Japanese Maple in our flower bed as an accent tree. It was planted about 5 years ago and has done fairly well until just recently. Right now it has lost most of

Contour Grading

QuestionI am having a problem on drawing finish contours for a access road. How do I know where they catch at the existing contours? Thanks Jerry AnswerIf you are creating a grading plan, your first bit of informat

small back yard

QuestionI live in Chicago and I have a very small back yard which I dont know what to do with it. I love sitting outside reading when weather is permitted, but the back yard is so boring. Do you kn

trees to plant next to a paver driveway

QuestionWe live in St. Petersburg, FL and have just installed a paver driveway. We had to remove a bottle brush tree and want to replace it with a blooming tree that will not lift or damage our driveway when i

Need plant ideas

QuestionI live in the Philadelphia, Pa area. I would like to plant some plants on top of a 2 foot high retaing wall. The soil on top of the wall is about a foot deep with stone below. I would like some plants

landscaping driveway ?

QuestionI have a quick question, My driveway is stone and on the side closer to neighbor I have about 4 ft of grass on my property. I would like to plant bushes or shrubs of some sort to give some sort of lining on

replacing grass with rosemary

QuestionI have about 25 square feet of grass in my front yard .. dogs seem to like the grass .. however, I am told that if I removed the old grass and plant rosemary in its place .. I may have better luck .. my qu

Where do I start????

QuestionI am a senior in high school and have been struggling with how to go about getting started. Ultimately I would love to be part of a design team with the primary role of producing the drawings. I

Rented house yard needs perk up

QuestionI am not sure what catergory to ask this question under so I am just trying the one that looks the best. I am renting an older home (1950s?) in Wichita KS, the flower beds need weeding, the lawn needs some r

Zone 6 native plant advice

QuestionHi - I live on 3.5 acres in Foristell, Missouri Zone 6 and I am going to downsize my yard and would like to return the area that I wont be mowing to native plantings. I am also going to reclaim part of my w

Advice re: landscape rings around established oaks?

QuestionHello Sean and thanks for taking my question. I live in a two-story colonial-style home with wrap around porch on 3 acres. I have 6 established pin oaks (age: 17 years each, about 40 ft in height

Red Clay, Type of Mulch and Dogs

QuestionMy question is what would be the best mulch to cover red clay around a pool area? We have nice stamped concrete, (a gray color) sections of grass and several lovely planting areas inside our fence. My proble

Bougainvillias

QuestionI heard that Bougainvillea have a pretty hardy root system and can over time destroy a foundation. Is this true? Thanks for your time, Bree AnswerYes, it is, but only if you let them get out of contr

Pavers over concrete patio

QuestionYou recently answered a question about cementing flagstone over an existing patio. I have a stamped conc. patio that has flaked and spalled. The surface looks OK but the colorant and sealing is c

Covering a retaining brick wall

QuestionI have a really ugly retaining brick wall approx 2 high and 90 long around out patio which I would like to cover. Painting is not an option due to the damp from the soil behind. Could you give me

i hope you can answer my question

Questionhow much does it usually cost to smash down concrete? i want to remove the cement that was placed in my backyard a few years back. it looks horrible! i want to destroy the cement floor that was placed ther