Latest Articles
7 Best ways to Get Rid of Old Furniture and Old Large Items
Is unwanted furniture taking up space in your attic? Or maybe you are moving, and the idea of transporting old furniture and appliances sickens...
on Mar 17, 2019
How Inclement Weather Can Affect Your Pool
Only a few months into 2019 and it has been the craziest winter on record for a number of years all across the country. Heavy weather systems...
on Mar 11, 2019
Furnishing Your New Apartment on a Budget
`Moving into a new apartment is an exciting time. Perhaps it’s the first time you’ll be on your own, or you’re moving into your first place with a...
on Mar 6, 2019
All You Need to Know About Hot Glue Guns
Ask anyone with an interest in arts & crafts projects and they’ll tell you hot glue guns are a must have. Self proclaimed DIYers for home...
on Mar 4, 2019
Are Smart Blinds Worth the Cost?
Two essential elements of a home are natural lighting and comfort. A home that is well lit and comfortable is the dream of every homeowner no...
on Mar 1, 2019
Popular Articles
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Homemade Headboards-Make an Upholstered or Wooden Headboard
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Creating a Cottage Kitchen with Bead Board
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Gas Fireplace Diagnostics and Troubleshooting
Follow these steps for diagnosing and troubleshooting Gas Fireplaces repairs. For the average DIYer, this may seem intimidating, depending on the...
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Garden / Landscaping / Patio
Woodchucks/Groundhog Prevention
by Guest on Apr 28, 2012
Groundhog day may have passed unnoticed for some, but for homeowners and gardeners groundhog season is only just beginning. Groundhogs (also known as woodchucks) are active in the spring and summer and may be feasting off your garden or lawn. Here are our do-it-yourself tips for keeping your yard safe from groundhogs. Continue reading →
Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance
by Dan Eskelson on Apr 28, 2012
The following is a list of landscape plants rated according to their resistance to deer damage. The list was compiled with input from nursery and landscape professionals, ClearWaterLandscapes. Realizing that no plant is deer proof, plants in the Rarely Damaged, and Seldom Severely Damaged categories would be best for landscapes prone to deer damage. Continue reading →
Down and Dirty - Understanding Your Soil
by Dan Eskelson on Apr 29, 2012
The very first consideration in new landscaping should be the condition of the native soil; the most beautiful design and efficient planning will go to waste if the landscape is installed in a poor soil environment. Soil is a living, breathing ecosystem, and requires a thorough understanding before any landscape installation is begun. You should be able to classify your soil as sandy, clay based, or ideally, somewhere in between. The amount of organic matter present in the soil is also important, as well as its relative acidity (pH). Continue reading →
Creating Your Planting Areas
by Dan Eskelson on Apr 29, 2012
In most cases, it's best to create planting beds with a slight crown, or hill, near the middle of the bed and sloping downward toward the edges. This will help to keep roots out of standing water during very wet periods. In very sandy soils, however, level beds are OK. In either case, create a basin around each plant which extends to, or further than, the drip line; especially important during the first year, this will help to deliver water where it's needed. Continue reading →
Basic Concepts: Line and Form for Landscaping
by Dan Eskelson on Apr 29, 2012
The form of structures should be considered for landscaping, as well as the relationship between this form and the form of adjacent plants. Forms may complement or contrast; we may use tall, columnar plant forms around a building with very steep, projecting roof lines to complement the architecture. Or it may be desired to contrast these vertical architectural elements with low, spreading forms. There are no strict rules for the use of form, but it's important to consider the effects that form exerts on the total landscape design. Continue reading →
Designing a Landscape Lighting System
by Guest on Apr 29, 2012
Before deciding what and how to light, we must first ask "why light?" Our design decisions are dependent on proposed uses for landscape lighting...for safety, security, property value, or enhancement of the beauty of the garden and structures. Most likely, the answer will be a combination of two or more of these uses. a specific technique can be employed to satisfy more than one requirement...for example, uplighting a prominent tree near the house entrance will provide safety, security and aesthetic enhancement. Continue reading →
Designing Flower Gardens
by Guest on Apr 30, 2012
Don't be intimidated by the term "flower garden." Let's define the term as: any planting of flowers. This could be the small patch by your front door- or the border that runs the length of your property. It could be the group of flower pots on your balcony or acres of wandering paths. The important thing is: it's where you plant your flowers. Many books have been written on landscape design, garden design, plant combinations, colors in the garden...it's enough to make a beginning gardener's head spin! Continue reading →
The Art and Science of Pruning: a Short Introduction
by Dan Eskelson on Apr 30, 2012
Most landscape plants need regular pruning, whether to preserve a loose, natural form, or to create tight,compact shapes. Each individual tree or shrub has its own, unique pruning needs, depending on variety, soil type, exposure and desired result. For instance, we prune a birch or hawthorne for ornamental value, but prune an apple or plum for fruit production; basic pruning rules apply to both, but final techniques and results are vastly different. Each individual plant will change its pruning requirements from year to year. Continue reading →
Dormant Pruning - Part 2
by Dan Eskelson on Apr 30, 2012
Pruning cuts must be made with full knowledge of future consequences, relying on our perception, or visualization, of the plant's growth characteristics, intended use, age and desired form. Various plant forms are "created," early in the plant's life, by choosing new growth which will eventually produce the desired shape. Growth which does not conform to our visualization is removed. Continue reading →
Save Water by Using Drip Irrigation
by Guest on Apr 30, 2012
The term "drip irrigation" describes the application of water not only by drip emitters but also by microsprays. Both of these have two traits in common: they operate at low pressure, and they deliver a low volume of water compared to standard sprinklers. Because the water is applied slowly on or near the ground, there should be no waste from runoff and little or no loss to evaporation. You position the emitters to deliver water just where the plants need it; you control penetration by varying the time the system runs and/or the emitters' delivery capacity (rated in gallons per hour). Continue reading →
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7 Best ways to Get Rid of Old Furniture and Old Large Items
on Mar 17, 2019
General Household
Is unwanted furniture taking up space in your attic? Or maybe you are moving, and the idea of transporting old furniture and appliances sickens...
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