If you feel as though you’ve been living in an oven lately, you certainly aren’t alone. We’ve had a hot summer here in Southern California, and some of our plants are suffering. Would you know the signs of heat stress if you saw them? Read on to discover how you can help your plants survive…
Do you have an outdoor space that could use a makeover? Would you like a more inviting place to entertain guests or simply relax and unwind? If you’d like to accomplish these goals while making a smart investment to improve your landscaping, then an outdoor fireplace or fire pit, combined with a waterfall, might be…
Tropical or succulent plants are popular in landscaping for their lush green leaves and brightly colored blooms. Here in Southern California, our weather tends to be mild (or at least more so than many parts of our contry), and this may lead you to believe your tropical plants will do just fine over the winter….
When you consider improving the outside of your home, do you automatically think of planting decorative flowers and trees? Those are certainly important, but it’s equally important to consider the benefits of hardscape like patios and walkways. These structures give form to your landscaping and provide a place to relax and enjoy the great outdoors….
When you think of adding a concrete patio to your landscaping, do you picture a plain gray slab? For some homeowners, that may not sound very decorative or appealing. Many people don’t know that they have many more options than traditional gray when it comes to concrete. A well-designed concrete patio can add significant beauty…
We’re often asked about the best ways to ensure a landscaping project will result in healthy, long-lasting, and prolific plantings. After all, landscaping takes a lot of time and hard work, so no one likes being disappointed when their investment doesn’t pay off with the best possible results.
Whether you’re trying to sell your home, or want to love your home every day when you arrive, improving its curb appeal is relatively simple. You don’t necessarily need to repaint or remodel your entire home – a few easy landscaping projects will refresh the look of your house in a matter of days, and…
One of the more frustrating aspects of home ownership is dealing with the noise from neighbors and nearby roadways. This is especially annoying if you’ve spent a good deal of time and money to create a peaceful garden oasis, only to find very little peace when you want to enjoy your outdoor space. Fortunately, you…
If you’re looking for a landscaping change that will beautify your yard, give you the ability to make greater use of your outdoor living space, and increase safety, low voltage outdoor lighting would be the perfect addition. As opposed to harsh and electricity sapping floodlights, an LED lighting system is a gentler and more attractive…
Imagine a relaxing vacation on a tropical island… every day of the year. If that sounds appealing, why not create your own tropical paradise in your backyard? Tropical style gardens have long been popular, for both their beauty and calming atmosphere though there are some challenges associated with this kind of landscape.
If a mix of beautiful blooms, useful plants, and an aura of old-fashioned romantic charm sounds appealing, then a cottage style garden might be the perfect addition to help you turn your house into a home. Traditionally, these gardens were planted by the lady of the house, and included a mixture of her favorite flowers…
If you’d appreciate a lush and inviting garden that is also relatively low maintenance, a Mediterranean-style garden might be right for you. For homeowners in southern California, there’s an added bonus: many of the plants typically seen in Mediterranean gardens are drought resistant, so they work with our naturally dry climate (which also helps to…
A growing trend in gardening focuses on planting flowers that are not just purely decorative, but also attract desirable species of butterflies and hummingbirds as well. If you’ve ever thought it would be fun to enjoy a garden literally buzzing with life, you might enjoy cultivating this type of garden.
Most of us think of landscaping as a way to make our homes look nice, but landscaping can be functional as well. When it comes to edible gardens, form and function can balance one another in a wonderful new way. Not only does your yard look nice, but you also have a fresh supply of…
Those of us who live in Southern California, where we receive very little rainfall, know what a challenge it is to create a beautifully landscaped yard. We face the choice of watering thirsty lawns frequently, or finding another way to work around our naturally dry climate. Fortunately, there are ways to create low water landscaping…