Landscaping Ideas

Gardeners in hilly areas may face challenges when they try to landscape their front lawns and other areas that are not level. Young and small plants can literally wash away during heavy rains or…

You rely on the stately oak in your yard to provide beautiful foliage in the fall. Squirrels and other creatures rely on its acorns for nourishment, and its broad leaves provide shade for all from the…

Bamboo is an elegant, graceful plant that thrives in a variety of growing conditions. Unfortunately, bamboo has a bad reputation, which is often deserved. A running bamboo plant spreads rapidly by…

Generations ago, an outdoor fireplace allowed you to cook meals without adding heat to the inside of the house in summer. Today, outdoor fireplaces are mainly a leisure luxury item in back yards. They…

Adding landscaping between a fence and driveway brings beauty to the area. Whether you have a small or large area to work with, a few options are available to incorporate color and design. Aside from…

Landscaping a high, sloping berm challenges even experienced gardeners. Not only do these sites tend to have their own microclimates -- created by shaded northern or eastern exposures or sunny, hot…

Ivy spreads by sending out trailing vines. The vines have suckers that root in soil or grasp and climb up trellises, trees and buildings. Most ivy varieties prefer moist, shady locations so they can…

It's not always possible to maintain a beautiful lawn. Grass not only requires regular watering but plenty of sunlight. Tall leafy trees can make a lawn difficult to keep lush and green. Thinning the…

When you approach your home after work, errands or being away on holiday, you'll appreciate the welcome found in a carefully designed landscape. Beauty can be simple or elegant and will depend on your…

Pouring your own concrete landscaping borders makes sense if you want an unusual color or unique design or texture. Making your own landscaping borders may even make sense financially, particularly if…

Succulents provide gardens and yards with contrast in aesthetics since they have different appearances than other types of plants and require minimal maintenance. Succulent plants store water in their…

If you're ready to give the side or main entrance of your home or business a makeover, there are many landscaping ideas from which you can draw inspiration. Landscaping the area around the front or…

A large backyard garden can slowly grow out of control, producing an unappealing appearance. Some gardening enthusiasts divide spaces within a garden by constructing small fences, such as picket wood.…

Large square front yards provide plenty of flexibility and space to showcase rows of trees, blooming flowers and ornamental hedges. The large square shape frames the house and provides a traditional,…

Tree roots are structured to take advantage of water and nutrient availability and provide anchorage for the tree. Typically, most of any tree's roots, which can extend several feet beyond the tree's…

Some property owners are content with a lush carpet of lawn covering every square inch of the lot. While not visually interesting or biologically diverse, it's a viable landscaping option. At the…

With a little planning and minimum tools, you can build a simple desk yourself at a low cost. The desktop can be made from various materials, such as doors, tabletops or plywood. Consider what you…

Erecting a fence provides an instant enclosure or boundary marker on a property, unlike planting a hedge and waiting for it to grow in. Depending on budget, fence style or material, the fence may look…

Metal gazebos provide you with a freestanding structure in which you can relax or entertain guests. Such gazebos are simple to erect if you purchase one in the form of a kit. By using welding or…

Most backyards are fairly predictable, with a few pieces of lawn furniture, a barbecue and maybe a jungle gym holding court. However, if you have always dreamed of something more, the world is your…

Azaleas showcase a cascade of soft pink, ruby red, deep orange, creamy white, shades of lavender and bicolors throughout gardens and front yard walkways. These flowers open up to reveal large,…

Electric transformer boxes, while unattractive, typically replace overhead wires, which are equally unattractive. This is probably of little solace to the homeowner with a box on his front lawn. Many…

Creating and cultivating an attractively landscaped lawn often requires a significant investment of both time and money. In order to cut costs, you should avoid doing unnecessary work on your lawn and…

Contemporary homes showcase modern-style architecture and decorative landscapes that blend in well with other homes throughout a neighborhood. These homes have a clean look, without too much clutter.…

Lawns and gardeners often have a love-hate relationship. While lawns provide an open space and create uniformity throughout a neighborhood, they may seem like a waste of valuable growing space on a…

Landscaping a sloped north-facing yard presents several challenges. A north-facing yard typically gets more shade than a yard that faces south. Soil warms up later in the spring and typically stays…

Having a sloped front or backyard can often cause a gardener to wince. Problems with drainage, erosion and the slant of the slope itself are just a few of the concerns that come with this type of…

Large homes featuring bay windows can be found in urban settings or atop country hillsides. Regardless of the home's location, a bay window offers a broad sweep of the world beyond it. Choosing how to…

Blue junipers come in a wide array of styles and sizes, making it possible for you to use a variety of blue junipers throughout your landscape. Blue junipers are tough plants capable of thriving under…

Mulch, stones and large rocks placed along the edges of a driveway can soften the look of the landscape. You may use single mulch types or a combination to create a variety of looks to coordinate with…

Bay windows are octagonal shaped and first became popular in architectural designs during Victorian times, according to the University of Vermont. Through landscaping, you can draw the eye’s…

A muddy lawn is often a result of clay in the soil. Clay prevents water from draining, creating pools of standing water. If it takes more than four hours for your soil to drain after a 15-minute…

One of the keys to having well manicured landscaping is paying as much attention to the structures and surfaces in your yard as you do to your plants. Yard brick in a retaining wall, garden wall,…

Using the right kinds of natural and artificial accents can turn a small front lawn from plain to attractive without appearing uncluttered. Even if it is small, you can decorate your front lawn so it…

With the right landscaping, you can turn a boring backyard into an outdoor living space that you enjoy. Transforming your backyard’s landscape can help increase the value of your home and…

Mud in your yard is not only unattractive, but it makes a mess if it is tracked in the house. You're likely to have mud in your landscape if you have standing water, bare dirt and soil susceptible to…

If you work hard to create a thriving, attractive landscape, it can feel especially frustrating when insects damage your plants or make it miserable to spend time outside. Before you reach for harsh,…

Having a patch of gravel in your yard with benches or chairs placed on it can provide instant seating around your home and encourage garden guests to relax together or spend quiet time alone. Through…

While landscaping a small backyard is a challenge in and of itself, throwing a pool in the mix adds a major extra consideration -- but looking at the pool as a source of inspiration rather than design…

Dark rock includes any style of music that touches on dark themes and has loud, heavy beats. Several types of music fall under the category of dark rock: heavy metal, Goth and punk rock. The fashion…

In the United States, craftsman bungalows were extremely popular during the first half of the 20th century. Craftsman bungalows are characterized as rather small homes with an emphasis on developing a…

A typical colonial home is typically two stories with a sloping roof and a centered front entrance that is bordered by windows on both stories. A combination of tall, narrow plantings at the corners…

Pea stone, often called pea gravel, is one of the more common kinds of decorative gravel found on driveways or walkways. It is made up of small, smooth pebbles, usually about 1/2 inch in diameter,…

Block walls are a common feature on many homes. Whether they're part of the house structure, a retaining wall or a privacy element, how you landscape in front of them depends on whether you want to…

Building with stone takes a strong back and a lot of patience, but the material rewards the determined builder with structures that are both beautiful and durable. In an age when many things are made…

Concrete borders in landscaping are advantageous because concrete can be poured into any shape to accommodate your design. That's why a round concrete landscaping border is a good way to segment your…

Homeowners who want to cover outdoor landscapes and perform little or no maintenance after the installation may find the perfect option in artificial grass. This option is affordable for people who…

You can't use the same landscape design for a ranch-style house that you'd use for a colonial or a Victorian. By the same token, an L-shaped ranch house presents different possibilities than a basic…

Whether you don’t have time to take care of a garden or require plants for a dry area, gardeners have many choices in drought-tolerant plants. Species tolerant to the dry conditions include…

Whether your yard slopes up, down or from side to side, you shouldn't view it as a problem when designing your landscape. With a little imagination, you can create a beautiful yard on either a steep…