Water can cause a lot of damage. Any time you have a slope you have the potential for water and erosion issues, and it's my job as a …
Landscape Design
Understanding Flagstone: Sawcut, Thermaled, and Chiseled Edges
You've decided to use flagstone in the landscape. Good call! You may not be done making decisions, however. If the stone will be used in an …
Virginia Deck Design Explained, Part 3: Decking and Railings
Ok, your framing is up and you have the solid foundation for a deck. Now you have choices - what decking to use, and what type of …
Virginia Deck Design Explained, Part 2: Posts, Beams and Joists
Last week I talked about the ledger board and the footers, the first steps in building your deck. Today I'll cover the next …
3 Great Plants for Winter Color in the Virginia Landscape
Winter and I have a challenging relationship. I don't love the way business slows down for a few months, I'm not a fan of the fact that it …
Virginia Deck Design Explained, Part 1: Footers and Ledger Attachment
My name is Dave Marciniak, landscape designer and owner of Revolutionary Gardens, and I use jargon. I'm deeply sorry. However, the …
Transparency in the Landscape
As modern humans, we spend our days surrounded by solid, imposing "stuff". We live in big brick and wood houses, drive two-ton steel …
Drainage and Infrastructure Are Not Like Milk Duds
I'm still recovering from Halloween - 538 trick-or-treaters is a LOT Of kids - and it's still framing how I look at things. Of the nearly …
3 Ways Landscape Design Is Like Science Fiction
I was a voracious reader when I was a little kid. If I was still for more than a few seconds, I had to have something to read. Hm... I guess …