Patios have come a long way from that small slab of concrete that your grandparents used to put their barbeque grills on. Today’s patios are artistically creative additions to your overall landscaping plan. When blended with other hardscapes such as your garden walking paths, steps leading down from your deck or heading toward your water…
Are you missing something in your landscape design? Have you considered creating a space to incorporate a water feature? For whatever reason, we are all aware of the hypnotic and calming (almost therapeutic) effect of the sound of running water on our psyche. A water feature is always an asset, never a regret, to any…
Whether your landscape design calls for an outdoor kitchen, deck, patio, swimming pool, or garden retreat, don’t forget to include music for your outdoor entertainment areas. Many great landscape designs treat entertainment systems as an afterthought, but incorporating outdoor speakers into the design process you will end up with better results acoustically and aesthetically. Outdoor…
Remember frying fresh fish outdoors in an iron skillet over a small kerosene stove? Or, simply building a quick “make-do” fireplace out of left over bricks from the neighbor’s last room addition? Then, along came a “real” barbeque grill, a Weber! Finally, a gas grill arrived and the weekend outdoor home barbeque parties were a…
In the excitement of launching into a new landscaping project, especially with the advancement of spring, most people are focusing their attention on their “softscape” projects such as vegetable gardens, flowerbeds, scrubs and trees. Oh, let’s not forget our constant quest for the perfect lawn of grass. While it is these elements that, in large…
One of the most mystifying, stimulating yet relaxing, calming and hypnotic element to be found in nature is water. We are soothed by the sound of waves gently lapping the shoreline or rocking a boat. Most people plan their vacations around water (special fishing trips or beach destinations) and many of us will recite favorite…
Retaining walls are used primarily to “shape” an area of a landscaping project that needs control, either for water drainage or to prevent soil erosion. Retaining walls are to, in essence, hold the soil between two different elevations where there may be two undesirable slopes. These structures help prevent the natural flow of gravity’s pull.…
Perhaps it goes without saying that, regardless of the meticulous detail in your artfully planned, harmonious, perfectly placed vivid color displays included in your personal landscaping project, the lack of regular water to your precious foliage will turn all that beauty and work into a devastating brown disaster. A long, hot, dry spell can wreck…
Simply put, fire is fascinating, and like light to a moth, it seems to captivate us, pulling us into its mystery. Knowing that it can be a powerful, destructive, life threatening force must somehow add to our need to observe it when it is safely contained. Watching the flames flicker and dance, while listening to…
Many of us have observed yards standing in water following the first hard rain of spring, resulting in rapid snow melt while the ground is still too frozen to absorb the runoff. We’ve all sympathized, on occasion, with that friend or co-worker who discovered their formerly dry basement suddenly, seemingly without warning, underwater. Does your…
