If your’re looking for landscaping ideas or tips on installation and maintenance, you’ve come to the right place. From planting flowers and shrubs to building a backyard pond, we’ve got the answers you need. And if you’re in the market for a professional landscaper, our advice can help ensure you find the right person for the job.
It’s difficult to deny the appeal of living in an area adjacent to or surrounded by wild areas. Unfortunately, the very things that make these locations so desirable make them especially vulnerable to the threat of brush and wildfires. If you live in such a setting, it’s wise to take precautions to protect your family,...
If you live in one of the more than 72,000 communities at risk of wildfires, you need to understand the threat and take actionable steps to protect your family, home and neighborhood. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to create fire mitigation zones. Start at your house and work your way out...
Unfortunately, brush fires are a fact of life in the US, destroying an average of 6.4 million acres each year. In really bad years the devastation skyrockets, like in 2015 when more than 10.1 million acres burned, breaking the previous record set in 2006. If you live in a region where wildfires are common, you’ll...
Beautiful and fragrant, evergreen tea olive trees are tough, low-maintenance plants that work as shrubs, hedges, and specimen or landscape trees. They produce flowers with a sweet fragrance reminiscent of peach, orange or jasmine blossoms, and varieties such as the fragrant tea olive (Osmanthus fragrans) bloom for up to four months. There are more than...
Sweetly fragrant tea olive trees have long been a southern garden favorite, and in recent years, they’ve become popular in many other regions as well. Devilwood, the only tea olive native to America, is part of this growing trend. Sometimes called wild or American olive, devilwood (Osmanthus americanus) is an excellent landscape plant that can...
Fragrant tea olives are an asset in any landscape. They feature evergreen foliage and fragrant flowers, plus they’re tough, resilient, drought tolerant, and disease and pest resistant. They’re also extremely versatile and can be grown as specimen trees, hedges, green screens or shrub borders. Like any plant, tea olives can experience problems. If they’re under...
With more than 20 varieties, there’s a tea olive right for almost every landscape. Tea olives offer evergreen foliage for year-round interest and tiny flowers with a sweet, intense fragrance. They’re drought tolerant, slow growers, and require little maintenance once established. Let’s look at five terrific varieties and some great places to plant them: Foundations...
A deck is a great way to enjoy the outdoors while still enjoying all of the comforts of your home. Second story decks even have the benefit of coming with a great view, but they also have the potential to leak. These can very expensive very quickly, including damaging walls, furniture, flooring, and more. Here’s...
If you’re constantly having to deal with water in your basement, this is a sign that your foundation is probably getting wet too. A waterlogged foundation can lead to sagging, cracks, and expensive repair bills, so it’s important to find the source of the water and address it immediately. You may think that your troubles...
With all the colors and textures to play with in a flower or vegetable garden, your garden has the potential to become a real work of art. So why not extend your creativity to your garden fence as well? If you are planning on having a garden fence installed, there are many easy things your...