Looking out A terraced window well dramatically increases natural lighting in a lower level or basement. These egress windows satisfy Building Code rules. The primary rules for designing a window well are the code requirements for an egress window. The bottom of the well must be at least 3 x 3 ft., the well can t interfere with opening the window, and you have…
Making mistakes when mulching can keep your soil from reaping benefits such as conserving moisture, suppressing weeds, reducing erosion and decreasing water runoff. Landscape designers and researchers provided their best tips for making the most of mulch in your yard. Do use it as an accent. Mulching can help create healthy lawns but also has an aesthetic value…
Proven Winners В® Gardening Ideas—Use our recipes to plant a gorgeous outdoor living space The secret is out. Container gardening is fun, easy and rewarding when you use Proven Winners recipes. Think of all the creative possibilities for transforming a watering can, shoe or purse into a plant-able pot! Container gardening is the perfect way to exercise your green…
How soil “pushes” (and how to build a wall that pushes back) When you contemplate the retaining wall you re about to build, you may imagine how firm and solid it ll appear from the front, or how great the new garden will look above it. But unless you give serious thought to what goes on behind and below the wall, it may not look good for long. A poorly built…
The ranch house is as quintessentially Californian as Yosemite and artichokes. So when Eric Olsen, an architect who grew up surrounded by the iconic style in Newport Beach, saw a textbook ranch house in Corona del Mar, he fell fast for its modern but modest style—and knew it was just the place for him and his wife, Adriana, to raise their three daughters. Adriana…
You ve pulled out all the stops to make your house and yard look first-rate. So why let that hard work disappear at nightfall when, with a flick of a switch and some strategically placed landscape lights, you can roll back the darkness and put it all on display? Done right, landscape lighting makes the best of what you ve got by highlighting your home s architectural…
A clean and beautiful flag flying atop a tall flagpole is a symbol of freedom and independence. However, flagpoles are often made of bare or painted metal and by themselves can be unattractive. By using creative landscaping techniques, you can make the area around the bottom of the flagpole an eye-catching and attractive transition from the existing landscape…
Few things are more satisfying than growing your own food. Few things are more frustrating than being a garden lover trapped in a teeny-tiny apartment. What to do? Here are some gardening projects that will work on even the smallest patio or balconyplus tips for growing citrus indoors if you don t have a balcony at all. TOP ROW: 1. Linsey of LLH Designs planted…
I enjoy reading photography blogs and related publications, with many serving as excellent sources of inspiration and thought-provoking ideas that I use to help shape and inform my own work. The following six articles have stood out over the last few weeks in their discussion of important topics for landscape photographers. One thread that weaves many of these…
Small? Yes. A concrete slab populated solely with plastic chairs and an abandoned grill? Not anymore. Chances are your balcony, porch, or patio could use a major makeover. Fern Richardson, charismatic creator of the blog Life on the Balcony, is here to walk you through the process of beautifying a small space — even when your budget is just as small. This exciting…
Tropical Landscape by Phil Bergman Tropical Landscaping with Emphasis on Palm Trees, Cycads and Companion Plants With New Information on Water Conservation Creating a beautiful garden is the goal of many, and there are multiple garden themes one may follow to landscape the garden. Which landscape design or theme you select depends on your tastes. Some people…
Start with a photo of your home or garden, then choose from thousands of photos of trees, shrubs, flowers, statuary, flower pots and more to create your dream garden. PRO Landscape Home is a homeowner s perfect landscape design app for iPad, iPhone as well as Android phones and tablets. Simply take a picture of your own house or garden, then create a visual design…
Small yard landscaping is a matter of proportions. It usually consists of using less plants overall, plus more diminutive palms and trees. A well thought-out plan can create a big impact on a small scale. Here are collections of South Florida plants to do just that. These groupings are based on a one-story house, which is more common here. But fior a two-story…
A traditional gravel path gets an update thanks to decorative stone chips and staggered Eden dimension stones that provide a landing spot and engage the eye. Stone edging keeps the gravel in line. Strong Geometry Crushed rock interspersed with bluestone lends appealing layers of visual texture to this path. The design is anchored by a repetition of rectangular…
For many of us, low maintenance landscaping is a priority. The long months of heat and humidity can make working outdoors uncomfortable. Our lifestyles are busy or relaxed, and puttering about in the garden is more of a chore than an enjoyable pastime for some. Planning an easy-care landscape means using non-fussy plants. These don t require much workself-cleaning…
Stone is among the most nuanced and luxurious of paving materials. It’s also durable and versatile, offering an enormous range of colors, shapes, and sizes. From irregularly shaped flagstones for country-garden paths to precision-cut geometric blocks for a formal patio, there is a stone for every garden situation. All of this, however, comes at a price. Stone…
Sure, retaining walls look like simple stacked stone, block, or timber. But in fact, they re carefully engineered systems that wage an ongoing battle with gravity. They restrain tons of saturated soil that would otherwise slump and slide away from a foundation or damage the surrounding landscape. These handsome barriers also make inviting spots to sit, and can…
2016 Winner UF student Lea Kindt receives her plaque from little Miss Wildflower IMPORTANT DATES Final Submission DEADLINE: midnight, March 10, 2017Award Ceremony: Friday, April 21, 2017 at the Native Plant Show Landscape architects, designers and students … show off your skills and help advance sustainable landscape solutions. AWARDS One winning design will…
The artificial turf industry is rapidly expanding. Where there were once only a few North American manufacturers there are now many other manufacturers bringing in lower quality products from outside of the U.S. Like many products in fast growing markets where there isn’t a tremendous amount of common knowledge, it is important for consumers to educate themselves…
Getting the Right Property If you haven t yet purchased or leased your home, search out the perfect location for growing. Find the warmest area in your locality and make sure you have good sun exposure. If you re in a cold area, find property on a ridge or hill to promote cold drainage. Ask prospective neighbors if it freezes. Look for successful growth of palms…
The stunning flavors of culinary herbs make them star players in a healthy diet, and the best way to make the most of big-flavor herbs is to grow them yourself. This article includes plans for four herb garden designs, each of which can fit into a 12-square-foot area, to help you make the best use of space near your kitchen door. See Top 12 Kitchen Herbs for…
With a passion for the great Minnesotan outdoors, ALD has been helping homeowners and business owners alike turn their landscaping fantasies into realities. Your property is one-of-a-kind, and it deserves one-of-a-kind service. We integrate winning design and architecture to create unique, imaginative, highly functional exterior environments. With over 12 years…
Backyard Vegetable Garden Our Backyard Food Factory This is how our family refers to our small backyard vegetable garden. In just 500 sq.ft. (20 x 25 ), we enjoy a wealth of fresh vegetables up to eight months of the year. Working in the garden is also a shared experience for the family, and instills in children an understanding of the natural cycles of growth…
Crossbuck Fence Design This white Crossbuck rail fence design is super for the smaller ranchette where white fencing is ideal for defining property limits, horse corrals or other enclosures. Strongly graphic and maintenance free, it is manufactured by Certainteed, which strives to provide vinyl fences for New England and northern climates that stands up to time…
Question: We moved to a new house in Castaic 27 years ago. There is a steep slope in back. It requires a combination of trees, bushes and ground cover to keep the soil in place. We have sprinklers that cover the entire slope. The current trees and bushes are doing fine, but we are having trouble finding a ground cover that will tolerate the colder winter temperatures…
Are you planning on making a raised bed? There are a lot of options when it comes to the material used to build a raised bed border. Wood is a common choice. Bricks and stones are good options, too. But if you want something cheap and attractive that’s not going to go anywhere, you can’t do better than cinder blocks. Keep reading to learn more about raised garden…
How much light do I basically need to create a pleasant outdoor atmosphere? Not all that much if you re just lighting objects in the yard. As we find with small, desk mounted task lamps, you can make a little go a long way by placing a small amount of light just where you need it. Keep in mind that at night, your eyes are already adjusted to the dark. If you…
