sod and planting

QuestionDear Gary, Im currently planning to do landscaping around the front side of my house, which is a new construction but has grass all round it. I want to plan some small trees and shrubs. My question is that

type of soils

Questionwhen i read in botanical books many species of flowers need different type of soil or dryness or wetness or drainage so do i have in a landscape to have different area to put my flowers, for exemple one with

Florida landscape design

QuestionI need help in designing the landscape for our new home in Port St Lucie, Florida. I would like to find something different than the typical Ixoria, Alamanda, Crepe Myrtles and Hibiscus that overwhelm

Permanent Mulch w/o Reflecting Sun/Heat Gain???

QuestionHi! I have a large yard and need to start using a permanent, hard, non-biodegradable mulch for lower maintenance. I do not have the time to replenish traditional wood mulch every year. I can get pea stone l

Living Patio - what ground cover to choose?

QuestionThanks for your speedy reply, Gary. I had actually tried the stepables site, but didnt like the plants they came up with. Even when I chose to list only plants that were close to the ground, they

plant location

QuestionHow far should plants be planted away from a house? We have some pine trees that are brown on one side and someone said they are burned from the heat of the house. We are looking at digging a new perimiter

perennials for planting in August for a.m. sun

QuestionI live in Colorado. Have a patch of dirt bordering back fence. Area receives morning sun, none in afternoon. Gets lots of water via sprinkler system. Would like to plant some perennia

the yard-landscaping

QuestionHow can I raise the value of my home by fixing my yard? for example if I put the stuff around my flowers will that help the curb appeal? or add a bush or ?. What can I do to the yard to raise the value of my

Clay soil

QuestionWe built a new home a year ago. The location of our home was a field for many, many years. The front of the house the soil is hard like clay. Nothing grows in in to well. I need to know what you suggest for

landscaping on a hill

Questionhello. I live on a very very steep hill. when i bought the home 2 years ago, the front was full of bushes in bloom. Last year, as part of some landscaping we had done to the backyard (retai

border

QuestionI would like to put a border around our patio slab. I will fill it with cedar( shredded..lol) would I put the 4 inch plastic grass barrier next to the 1.patio cement 2.cement, border, then black plasti

Building raised flowerbeds

QuestionHi There, We have a small back yard - really just a patio with bricks over most of it with some small flowerbeds on either side. Were considering putting in a long, raised flowerbed along the length o

landscaping our Southern California yard

QuestionDear Gary, My husband and I just bought a house and all of our grass is completely dead. As part of a larger landscaping plan Id like to plant a hedge for privacy in front of our home. Im lookin

landscaping around a pool.

QuestionCan you recommend trees I can put around my pool. I cannot put palms or redwoods (HOA rules). I would like a combination of evergreen and deciduous (did I spell that right?), and dont mind skimmi

landscape planning

QuestionHelp! We bought a new home in Belleville, IL last year have no landscaping other than sod in front and a poorly seeded back yard. Ive had a soil study done and have charted what parts of the yard ar

Sassafras and Rhamnus caroliniana

QuestionGary, I have a wooded lot and am trying to do landscaping on a house which has none. However, the woods have a lot of wild sassafras and carolina buckthorn trees, are these any good for landscaping? They app

planting shrubs

QuestionWe just purchased 5 Burning Bushes. We want to hide a chainlink fence, (or just make it look better). We are unsure how far away from the fence to plant them. Please help. AnswerVicki, One of the big

Hosta in small area

QuestionI am a single mom and want to have a nice area. I have a condo with 2 wide/deep bed that runs the east side of the condo about 15 long. I want to plant hosta but dont know how many varities to ch

Planting container collections in a new location

QuestionHi. We just purchased our first home, weve lived in west facing apartments in Southern California for years. I have grown 3 wonderful collections in containers that I finally get to plant in the ground! They

artificial ground cover

QuestionHi Mark: I am an attorney expert on the site. Problem is a fairly steep slope behind our Santa Barbara, CA home that takes lots of direct sun. Over the years we have probably re-planted 5 times. None of the