Landscaping & Outdoor Building

Rototilling makes fast work of breaking up the ground and preparing it for planting a new tree. The equipment is relatively easy to operate. Rather than attempting to loosen up the soil by hand,...

A Florida coconut can take anywhere from two to nine months before it begins to germinate. The coconut husk usually splits at the bottom where it sends out roots into the soil. Each coconut begins...

Hardwood mulch is made from shredded bark of hardwood trees such as oak, maple or birch. This mulch offers a variety of benefits including durability, slow decomposition and effective weed...

Flowers don't have to put a dent in your budget. In fact, there are many types of inexpensive flowers you can buy to create a fantastic landscape. It's important to think about what flowers grow...

Hybrid willows make wonderful hedges. They grow and fill in quickly, as the first five years is when they exhibit the fastest growth. They provide privacy from the neighbors and are great as a...

Landscape timbers are an inexpensive and relatively easy way to edge a raised garden bed. The basic procedure simply calls for designing and digging a trench, putting two courses of timbers into...

The mineral sodium bentonite possesses water sealing properties. It is used to seal everything from ponds to toxic waste pools. As a fine powder, it can be used to seal permeable foundations and...

Fast-growing hybrid poplar trees serve as windbreaks and privacy screens, and provide quick shade as well. A member of the willow family, hybrid poplars also are related to cottonwood and aspen...

Flowering crab apple trees are a popular part of various landscape plans around the country. With over 35 species and 700 cultivated varieties, a suitable tree exists for almost any outdoor space....

Citrus trees, such as lemon, lime, and orange trees, are popular in warmer areas of the world. You can grow dwarf citrus trees outdoors in warm climates, or indoors in any temperature setting, as...

Organic soil is soil that has not been altered, affected by or exposed to toxic chemical fertilizers, noxious pesticides or poisonous herbicides. The organic method of gardening requires the use...

Farmland clearing should ideally be carried out during late fall or early winter to minimize soil compaction and to prevent unnecessary soil being discarded along with the brush. Clearing land for...

Ponds have both practical and aesthetic uses to many landowners. Whatever your motives, building a pond on your land may be easier than you think. Of course, it will require some heavy machinery,...

If you're lucky enough to own a home on the water, you may want to consider building your own dock instead of buying one. Docks are versatile structures used for fishing, docking a boat or even...

In-ground swimming pools can be delightful backyard additions to any home. However, there often comes a time when the pool is no longer used or wanted, or it becomes a hassle to maintain. The...

The blue Atlas cedar, a tree native to the Atlas Mountains of Algeria and Morocco, has an outstanding ornamental quality in its silvery blue foliage. It grows well in full sun or partial shade and...

Concrete and cement planters are beautiful and enduring additions to a garden. You might set them out in clusters on patios, settle them into flower beds, or arrange them in formal pairs on either...

The lotus is a shallow water plant that grows happily in a bog. In a natural environment, lotus rhizomes and roots are always wet, while the upper parts of the plant stand above water. Purchase...

Standing water can be a big problem in yards. Compacted clay soil is usually the culprit. As more water collects on top, the problem actually compounds itself by compacting the soil further. A...

Drip irrigation (also called trickle or micro irrigation or even micro watering) works by slow watering, directly to the top soil. Drip irrigation's high effectiveness results from two factors:...

Lovely, traditional beech trees come from the same family as oak trees. Their wide green branches are custom-made to spread shade and provide a foundation for climbing and hanging swings. Their...

When you think of magnolia trees, pictures of Southern women, beauty, stateliness and weddings may come to mind. Around 80 species of magnolia exist with many varieties sustainable as far north as...

The best time to divide the witch hazel shrub is when the leaves have dropped and it is going dormant. Witch hazel is a member of the Hamamelidaceae family. Hamamelis is a Greek word meaning...

False jasmine, belonging to the genus Gelsemium and the family of Loganiaceae, is often mistaken for the true jasmine. It is often hard to tell them apart. The yellow Carolina jasmine is a false...

Fountain grass, or Pennisetum, is an ornamental grass that some people grow as an accent plant in their yards. Fountain grass has slender, grass-like leaves that grow in a tufted mound. It will...

When you have compost with lime it means that the acidity of the compost was too high. It possibly had a high content of pine needles and lime was added to raise the PH of the soil. A compost lime...

Nothing looks lonelier than an empty urn or window box in a winter landscape. It sends the message: “Something is missing.” So instead of putting the garden to bed I like to wake it up by filling...

Pine trees usually don't have plants growing beneath them for a variety of reasons. There is an acidity in the pine needles that fall off the tree and this soaks into the soil, making it a very...

Planting any tree from seed is an exercise in patience. This is particularly true of a slow-growing tree like a chestnut. If the seed in your possession is from an American chestnut you are indeed...

Longleaf pines (Pinus palustris Mill), thrive in the coastal plains of southeast Virginia to east Florida and west Texas. They grow the best in sandy soils. It does not matter if the soil is well...

Homeowners often opt to plant large trees after a house is built to make the landscape more aesthetically pleasing. However, large transplanted trees are more difficult to plant successfully....

Small backyards can have the beauty of a water feature without the fuss of pumps, filters and electrical conduits. Making a bog garden takes two days, and maintaining the garden only requires...

Making a compost bin for your home is a great way to reduce household waste and promote a healthy garden. By composting at home, you'll save money by creating your own fertilizer and reusing...

Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) is an old-fashioned type of shrub, but it is at home in any garden, whether casual or formal, and even fitting in with the clean lines of a modern garden....

Imagine a rooftop oasis that lives, grows and cleans your air. Green roofs have been popular in Europe and Canada for several years and are now gaining popularity in the United States. They...

The blood orange tree is a unique tree that produces dark purple fruit. The blood orange tree can grow almost anywhere, but does best in hardiness zones 9-11. The blood orange does not like harsh...

Creating a rock bed is an interesting way to landscape a difficult area of your yard. Sloping areas lend themselves well to rock gardens, but a flat place can work too. You may already have rocks...

The silk tree, also called the mimosa tree, is named for its silky leaves and stringy flowers. The tree originated in Asia but can easily grow in the United States. It prefers hot weather but is...

Raised bed gardens have more fertile and less compact soil, allowing them to be planted more intensively and creating a larger harvest. A pyramid raised bed is an attractive way to grow a variety...

A shed will be much more durable if it is built on a concrete slab foundation instead of just dirt. The slab will protect the shed from rot and provide a better seal against insects and vermin....

The way the outside of your home looks is important. It makes a difference. Home owners often landscape to improve the look and feel of their home. The outside of your home can become a living...

A box blade is a tractor attachment that can perform tasks for home use, agricultural use and for building and development of roads. Its primary purpose is to move and level dirt and/or gravel and...

A new look can be achieved in your landscape if you get rid of shrubs and replace them with lawn or other ornamental plantings. Some shrubs, such as honeysuckle and forsythia, may take over an...

The Date Palm is a fruit-bearing palm tree that grows best in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 9 to 11, or in areas where the average annual minimum temperature is at least 25 degrees F. Native to...

Few people can resist the look of flowing rose vines at the front of a house, or climbing a wall in a garden. Climbing roses can be trained to climb up anything that will give them a foothold....

Yucca is a hardy perennial plant native to dry climates in the southern United States but grown as an ornamental plant throughout the country. Also known as Adam's Needle, an established yucca...

The date palm, also known as Phoenix dactylifera or 'true date palm', is a fruit-bearing palm tree mentioned in the Bible and considered to have been an important source of food throughout...

Shrubs add an eye-catching element to the landscape even during the winter months when flowers are not in bloom. Reducing lawn by adding shrub beds saves time and resources by reducing the amount...

The white spruce tree, also known as Picea glauca, is a important tree for wildlife who nest in its branches or feed off of its seeds and cones. Tolerant of a variety of growing conditions, the...

Hydrangea quercifolia, known as the Oakleaf hydrangea, has leaves that resemble those from an oak tree. In the fall, the leaves turn bronze to red. This plant does not like extreme heat. In...