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‘Lawn Care/Landscaping’

Landscaping is a delightful combination of art and practicality. Following proper design principles you can create a scene that is both beautiful to look at and serves your purposes well. Read more… »

One of the great things about landscape design is the flexibility it offers. You can make it very simple and get your feet wet so to speak. Later, you can re-do the area, or do another area in a more complex design as you gain more knowledge. Read more… »

“You can’t control the weather” is a common enough gardening phrase. But you can control, to a degree, the amount of shade or sun your plants receive. Even though you can’t move the clouds or redesign your house, you can still select which plants you’ll put in a certain area. Read more… »

There is no end of possible tools to acquire for pursuing this practical hobby of landscaping. But there are some that are a must if you’re to achieve worthwhile results. Read more… »

Perennials are plants, usually flowering types, that come back year after year. They differ in when they blossom, but once planted they will burst forth with color every year if treated well. Biennials are similar, but only bloom every other year. Read more… »

Landscapers often consider the color provided by flowers, the convenience and beauty of stone walking paths, the shade and fruit of a nice apple tree and other elements. But no landscaping effort is complete without the proper selection and placement of some great shrubs. Read more… »

One of the most beautiful landscape designs incorporates plants and structures to attract hummingbirds and butterflies. These colorful creatures add a wonderful natural touch to a garden and landscape. Read more… »

Most flowers, and some non-flowering plants, can be divided into annuals, perennials and biennials. Biennials bloom only every other year. Perennials will lose their flowers, but then come right back the following year – often for many, many years. Annuals, by contrast, bloom one year and never again, typically dying out entirely. Read more… »

Transplanting is always tricky, but sometimes the health of your plants requires it. Different plants are best transplanted at different times of year, so no ‘one-size-fits-all’ strategy is possible. But there are some general guidelines to go along with specific recommendations. Read more… »

Your zone and geography will affect the selection of trees for landscape design. But you’ll still find plenty of choices. Read more… »

There are as many reasons to prune a tree as there are individual species and circumstances. Read more… »

Like any problem, weeds can often be brought down to manageable proportions. The first step is to start with as free a plot as possible. Read more… »

Keeping destructive insects to a minimum is now easier than ever. Thanks to innovative biologists and chemists, there are a dozen safe ways to control damaging insects. Read more… »

Taking care of a yard is a year round job for some. For those who get a brief break due to snow on the ground, there are still some things you might want to study up on before Spring. Read more… »

The two most basic chemicals your lawn needs are water and fertilizer. These two work together to give your lawn everything it needs from you. The rest it gets for itself. Even these, of course, may be supplied in other forms or from other sources, depending on the soil and climate. Read more… »

Your trees, shrubs and flowers often look like a free lunch to wildlife. Rabbits love to munch on clover and other grasses, as well as certain kinds of flowers. Deer love fruit and certain kinds of shrubbery. Moose will feed on the large and small branches of apple and other trees. And, of course, there are the ever-present gophers that populate large areas of the U.S. Read more… »

The Zone System is indispensable for gardeners who want to optimize their efforts and results. The Zone System was created by the USDA (U.S. Dept of Agriculture) and divides the country into eleven zones. Read more… »

Because so many plants don’t thrive well in ice and snow, most gardeners who live in cold climates just pack up for winter and head inside to watch the landscape through a window. They see stretches of snow covered ground, dead stalks and a few hardy evergreens. It’s not a bad view, actually. Read more… »

It’s only been just over a hundred fifty years since grass was cut with a hand scythe – if it was cut at all. That was about the extent of lawn care then. Now, there are a dozen tools – some hand, some power, that are considered essential for keeping that green carpet in shape. Read more… »

What could be simpler than moving a lawnmower over the grass? Why would anyone need advice on that? Well, like anything, there’s always more to it than appears at first glance. Read more… »

Sooner or later, anyone who has to mow the lawn every week or two for several months will begin to long for a ridable mower. These small tractor-style units are a true blessing for anyone with a 1/4 acre or more to keep neat. Read more… »

Invented in 1830, the original lawnmower would be recognizable to day. The same basic parts were in place at the beginning. Read more… »

For a variety of lawn and garden tasks, both shears and shovels are essential. In both cases, the tool is designed to remove unwanted plant and earth from one place, so you can put it in another. Read more… »

Shears are among the most versatile tools for lawn and garden care. Though similar to garden scissors, they differ in several important ways – ways that make life easier for home lawn care workers. Read more… »

A hose is indispensable for nearly every lawn and garden. Even in areas that get regular rain, there are often dry spells that can be dangerous for plants. Read more… »

Some people garden and perform lawn care their whole lives using no gloves at all. But apart from the calluses and the dirt, some of us mere mortals require a little help from technology. Fortunately, the technology of gloves has come a long way in the past 50 years. Read more… »

Apart from your lawnmower, the trimmer or edger may be the tool you use most. Very few lawnmowers will get everything, since most lawns butt up against a wall, patio bricks or have trees in the lawn. As a result, the only way to keep that lawn looking really neat is to finish the job with an edger of some kind. Read more… »

A watering can sounds like such a simple device that one wonders how there can be any difficulty in picking one. But, thanks to the ingenuity of contemporary designers, there are a dozen varieties. One may suit your needs better than another. Read more… »

If you have a small yard, or few deciduous (leafy) trees, a rake may be good enough for your needs. But larger properties, or those with several trees may be more easily cleared with a power assist from a leaf blower. Read more… »

Spreaders are handy for laying down weed killer, fertilizer and other lawn care products that help you maintain the yard or garden. They come in two basic types – broadcast spreaders and drop spreaders – and you may find it helpful to have at least one of each. Read more… »

Having an array of lawn and garden tools is a must for proper care. But no matter how many hoes, shears or shovels you have one thing remains true: lawn care uses chemicals. Read more… »

A rotary-blade power mower cuts grass by slicing it off at high speed. The blades on many move around 2,500 revolutions per minute. But that high speed becomes ineffective if the blades are dull or nicked. Fortunately, keeping them sharp is easy and takes only a few minutes with the proper tools and technique. Read more… »

Sharp shears are a necessity to avoid ripping those stems rather than slicing them neatly. It also decreases the muscular effort required to make the cut, saving your hands. Fortunately, keeping shears sharp as new is simple with the proper tools and technique. Read more… »

The metal parts of shovels, hoes, pole saws and other lawn tools with wooden pole handles always seem to outlast the handle. A broken handle usually renders the tool useless. Read more… »

The type of hose repair needed depends, of course, on the type of leak you have. Here are two different possibilities for a leak, and how to fix them. Read more… »

Most tools have metal parts, making them subject to oxidation that weakens them. Wooden parts, too, can suffer an early demise if the coating is worn off by neglect. Keeping lawn and garden tools including gloves clean maximizes their lifetime and usefulness. Read more… »

Most lawn and garden tools have at least some parts that are prone to rust. The alloys used typically contain iron, which combines readily with the oxygen in air and water and produces the familiar reddish paste, iron oxide. Read more… »