Author: GardenGuy

Front yard landscaping is one of the most difficult challenges a homeowner faces. The typical front yard is not a place we spend much time, yet it is on full view for the public as they walk or drive past our home. The front yard design presents an image to the world – or at least the neighborhood – and most of us want that to be an attractive, welcoming image. Too many front yards have only a line of shrubs against the house and a single tree somewhere between the house and the street. The rest of the...

A standard approach to creating interest and depth in landscape painting and photography is the use of layers, specifically, a foreground, middleground and background. The foreground appears to be closest to the viewer, the background farthest away and the middleground, which often contains the primary subject of the composition, is in between. The same approach can be used for your front yard landscape. Layers add depth to all sizes of front yards. The layered approach is particularly useful in small yards or when a homeowner wants to make the house seem further away from the street than it actually...

Planting and growing your own vegetables is good for physical and mental health. You get exercise, reduce stress and produce your own fresh, healthy food, all by planting a vegetable garden in your backyard. If you do not know how to plant a garden, it’s not difficult, but there are a few important things to know. A little planning before you start to dig will save frustration and increase your chances of success. Picking the Right Spot for Vegetable Gardening Your vegetable garden should be in a spot that gets six to eight hours of sun each day. Watch...

Plants are natural air purifiers. In addition to converting carbon dioxide into oxygen, many plant species are effective at taking toxic or hazardous compounds and breaking them down into safer, basic components. In the same way that tropical rainforests produce more than a quarter of the earth’s oxygen, a mini rainforest of tropical interior plants can improve the air quality in your home. In particular, a number of houseplants species are noted for their ability to remove indoor pollutants. Here are a few plants you want to make sure are part of your home’s natural filtration system. Spathiphyllum –...

Lawn renovation is one of the major landscape tasks that a homeowner faces. Fortunately, if you do it right, establishing new turf in your yard only needs to be done every decade or two. For many, the most difficult question is whether to seed or sod. Reseeding and sodding both have advantages and disadvantages. Here are some things to consider before making a final decision about your new lawn. Seeding or Reseeding a Lawn Many turf experts regard seeding as the best way to establish a lawn. With proper care, newly germinated grass seed will grow deep roots, which...

Gardeners with experience and a green thumb know a secret for increasing the plant population in your landscape at very low cost. It takes a little bit of skill and a lot of patience, but propagating your own plants – growing plants from cuttings – is a fun way to get more of your favorite garden species. Taking clippings and rooting them is the easiest way to do this. While there is no guarantee of success, a few basic steps increase the chances of successful new plants from cuttings. Shrub and Tree Cuttings Not all tree and shrub species...