The fastest way to learn new plants
I moved to Virginia from Arizona in the summer of 2005. After a couple of weeks of job hunting, I got hired as a landscape designer and hit the ground running. The only hitch was that the plant material was…
Category Outdoor Living
How to plan and build a screen porch in Virginia
You probably never gave all that much thought to everything needed to plan and build a screen porch. Build a deck, add a roof, staple some screen to the side, BAM! Screen porch. While a screen porch is still a…
Should I use weed fabric under mulch?
When asked if you should use weed fabric under mulch, I think of P.T. Barnum. Before P.T. Barnum was known for circuses (circii?), he operated the American Museum in New York City. While it had some legitimate exhibits, like taxidermied…
Landscaping a wooded lot
Mature trees are an asset for any home, adding value to the property and reducing energy costs. We like big trees. We love that feeling of a home that’s tucked into capital-N Nature. Every silver lining has a cloud, and…
2017’s Holiday Poem
‘Twas the end of December, and out in my yard My branches were barren. The ground had gone hard. That night I was greeted with chills, wind, and frost And the knowledge that yet another season was lost. My backbone…
Landscape lighting transformer basics
12 volt lighting is like magic. You’re taking regular household line voltage and stepping it down to something that’s much safer and easier to work with. A rough knowledge of landscape lighting transformer basics will help you plan your system,…