I like my big projects, but there's also something really rewarding about taking a "normal" sized yard and making it something special. I just stopped in at a year-old landscape … [Read more...]
Building a Dry-Laid Flagstone Patio
Building a dry-laid patio is labor-intensive, but can be a decent DIY project if you pay attention to all the little details. The one in the photo is the new one in my backyard. … [Read more...]
Planting Shrubs and Perennials for Cut Flowers
While I was driving around today, I kept hearing a commercial for one of the big box home improvement stores, advertising a special on Knockout (R) roses. In the ad, they talk … [Read more...]
My Compost Bin Plans
One of the fun things about a blog is that I get to see the search terms that got you here. Over the last week or so, I've gotten quite literally dozens of hits from people … [Read more...]
Root-bound Plants
Behold, a happy little one-gallon Stella D'oro daylily (please ignore the mess behind it- it's a work truck). I picked up this one and 29 of its friends, for a great price from a … [Read more...]
When to Plant Perennials in Northern Virginia
This weekend was the sort that gets me really excited for the growing season. It was warm and sunny, although I could have done without the gusty winds Saturday. Times like that, I … [Read more...]
Good Fences, Good Neighbors
When we bought the house, the fence didn't enclose the entire backyard. Instead, the big opening facing the main road just funneled the view into my yard. This year, with an … [Read more...]
Getting the Most Value for your Landscape Dollar
If you're like everyone else, you want to improve your home and garden, but you also want to get the most value for your dollar. That's something I help my clients with, so I put … [Read more...]
Book Review: Rain Gardening in the South
I was fortunate enough to get a review copy of the above book, Rain Gardening in the South: Ecologically Designed Gardens for Drought, Deluge, and Everything in Between. I have to … [Read more...]
All-Too-Common Gardening Mistakes
Landscaping, gardening, whatever you want to call it- it's pretty forgiving. I'm of the school of thought that you can't actually have flowers that clash with one another, and if … [Read more...]