As water conservation becomes increasingly important, many homeowners are turning to drought-tolerant landscaping to save…
For gardeners who love the the large, fragrant blooms of old garden roses, but appreciate the repeat flowering of modern roses, the David Austin English rose may be a perfect blend of both types. These roses have been cross-bred to bring the feel of an English garden to the yard, while taking advantage of modern…
We’re often asked about the benefits of a drip irrigation system by homeowners who are frustrated by increasingly higher water bills. While drip irrigation will certainly save you time and energy, there are several additional benefits to installing the system.
As the warm spring and summer months descend upon us, you may begin to spot snails in your garden. The brown garden snail was originally introduced to California in the 1850s by European settlers who enthusiastically enjoyed escargot. Unfortunately, the snails adapted so well to the climate that they became a common garden pest in…
We get a lot of calls about aphids this time of year, from annoyed gardeners who spot the pests on plants such as rose bushes. Aphids generally turn up during the spring months, and are spotted in clusters on the leaves and stems of bushes. These small insects are generally less than 1/8 inch long,…
For those who desire a bit of privacy from neighbors, or want to mark the boundaries of their property, a dividing wall would be one way to accomplish those goals. This is a lighter-duty wall than retaining walls, which are designed to withstand pressure from holding back soil. The dividing wall stands alone and marks…
One of the most frustrating aspects of home ownership is spending your hard-earned money on an improvement project, only to receive results that are lower quality than you envisioned. We frequently get calls from homeowners who had patios installed by other contractors who are less than satisfied with the results This is usually because the…
Have you ever seen a retaining wall that has become cracked and discolored? The most likely cause for this problem is that the contractor didn’t take proper steps to ensure adequate drainage of water from behind the wall.
Any time someone comes along in your neighborhood and offers to do a landscaping job – for example, a wall or a patio – for much cheaper than the other estimates you received, this should raise red flags. It’s common to see unlicensed contractors doing these types of jobs, and there are several significant risks…
When calling a contractor for an estimate on building a wall, it’s important to know how the estimate is actually calculated. This gives the customer a better idea of what they are paying for and of different charges they may incur in the event they want to change their mind about one or more aspects…
Last week we began explaining hardscape, and this week we will continue focusing on a few other functions of hardscape and the important materials involved with it.
We are going to spend the next couple of articles focusing on ‘hardscape’ and topics which can make your home as aesthetically pleasing as possible.
On the heels of our previous discussion on how to prune roses, this week we are going to look at how to prune specific types of roses.
You may have questions and concerns regarding the annual maintenance required to keep your roses looking healthy, beautiful, and happy. Ideally, the months of January and February in frost-prone areas, are the best time to prune your roses. And, believe it or not, there is a great deal of controversy focusing on the manner in…
As we mentioned last week, there are many different terms that people use in the landscaping industry. However, since many of these terms are used interchangeably, it’s important to understand the specific definition of these terms.
In the world of landscaping, there are many “landscaping” terms that people throw around and use interchangeably, even though they have different meanings.