Spring Frosts & Snows/ Perennials
Snow in the spring is welcome. The snow provides great insulation for plants and can protect hardy flowers from frosty temperatures. The moisture provided is a real boost to bulbs and perennials that are ready to emerge. If daffodils and hyacinths are blooming and snow is predicted, cover them with a bucket or similar container […]
Beware of Plant Advertisements Misleading You
After a long winter indoors, gardeners yearn for spring and the growing season. Magazines fill with enticing pictures of flowers and sumptuous looking vegetables just waiting to be planted. It is hard to resist wanting to try that new variety. Some ads are obviously misleading with pictures of plants with unbelievable growth; whereas with other […]
More on Drainage Swales and Berms
When land is converted from its natural state to other uses, especially urban land uses such as roads, homes, and shopping centers, many impervious or paved surfaces are created. Rainfall can no longer soak into the ground. Instead it becomes stormwater or runoff. As land is developed the volume, speed of flow, and pollutant loading […]
Some Steps to Excavation and Grading
Excavation contractors are fond of telling their friends that they couldn’t bear to give up their childhood dump trucks, so they exchanged them for bigger versions. In the world of construction, excavation contractors do much more than haul dirt around; their responsibilities include site preparation, grading, trenching and many other soil-related tasks. And, yes, they […]
9 Vegetables You Can Grow Indoors
Conservatories and windowsills are good sites for growing vegetables. Put heavy containers on the floor or a firm support. Some vegetable plants, including trailing species, are suitable for growing in hanging baskets fitted with integral drip trays. Mushrooms are straightforward if you have space in a dark cupboard. Some plants such as chicory and rhubarb […]
Garden Stones and Mulches for your Landscape
Decorative gravel is becoming the green, sustainable alternative to lawn. It’s also a useful problem solver for dozens of scenarios in the ordinary landscape. In some regions such as the Southwest, it’s long been in use for surfacing open spaces in sparsely planted desert gardens. In the 1970s, colored gravel and evergreens became the low […]
Several Tips on Squirrel Problems & Prevention
Deer are primarily a problem in rural areas or near forest preserves. Squirrels, on the other hand, can be a problem in the city, suburbs, or the country. They have adapted to city life very well, and can be a major annoyance in terms of grass and lawn care. They will dig up your bulbs, […]
Hobby Greenhouses: Types
Greenhouses are available in all sizes, shapes and degrees of strength. They can be bought in unassembled packages, assembled on site and ready to set on foundations, or custom designed for a specific need. Most greenhouse structures fall into three types. The attached lean-to greenhouse has one sidewall as a part of a house, garage […]
5 Environmental Benefits of a Pond
Many pond owners enjoy the beauty and interest their pond adds to their home landscape—not to mention the relaxing, soothing sounds of any stream or waterfall features. Add to it all an extra benefit—owning a pond is good for the environment—in several ways. Here are 5 of them. 1. Water conservation Lawns require watering, while […]
Advantages to having a Swale in your Yard
Swales mitigate stormwater runoff. Swales are way easier than catching rain in a tank or barrel. Swales are more efficient than tanks or barrels. Swales build self-sustaining ecosystems. Let’s elaborate on each of those points. 1. SWALES MITIGATE STORMWATER RUNOFF. Stormwater runoff is a huge problem in most cities. Water is seen as a liability […]