What's Hot in Lawn Care

Fall foliage images showing autumn color of Norway maple trees. The yellow fall foliage of Norway maple trees arrives a bit later than does the autumn color of its cousins.

Picture of lavender crocus flowers. Like tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, grape hyacinths, snowdrops, scillas and other bulb plants, crocus flowers grace our yards with early spring color.

Many plants poisonous to dogs are very common in back yards. Plants poisonous to dogs may be only mildly toxic or cause more serious canine health problems.

Picture of orange oriental poppies.

A built-in outdoor fire pit can reach $5000 and higher in cost, while the cost of a custom outdoor fireplace is from $6,000 - $35,000.

How do you guard against wind damage to your shrubs, as evidenced in winterburn? In this article I discuss the use of shelters, tree wrap and other measures for protecting plants against snow, ice and wind damage.

Ideas for indoor gardening and landscape design with houseplants. Includes ideas for combatting pests on houseplants by identifying pests and pest-control techniques.

Definition of microclimates. A microclimate can be thought of as a 'loophole' in the rules implied in USDA Plant Hardiness Zone maps, which define MACROclimates.

Picture of a wishing well in the winter landscape.

Definition of Japanese bonsai. In Japanese bonsai, trees are dwarfed by careful root and stem pruning coupled with root restriction.

Purple-leaf sand cherry picture. While it can be used as a shrub, training purple-leaf sand cherry can create a tree.

Halloween image showing Satan, supported scarecrow-style. Behind Satan hangs a devil flag.

Identifying noxious weeds can the first step in eliminating a serious source of frustration for homeowners. Among these resources are articles on identifying noxious weeds.

What to consider in the way of quality of life when assessing landscaping when buying real estate, such as the presence of Japanese knotweed or kudzu on the land. Some helpful tips for real estate buyers who care about landscaping their yards as they see fit and who seek a high quality of life.

Definition of 'variegated.' A two-toned leaf or flower is said to be variegated.

Picture of a red coleus. This red coleus' color works well with, say, yellow marigolds.

Heaven Scent magnolia trees (sometimes misspelled 'Heaven Sent') are flowering specimens. Heaven Scent magnolia trees have pink blossoms.

Chinese lantern picture. Producing an orange "light shade," Chinese lanterns are in the nightshade family and toxic.

Smoke Tree (or 'bush') gets its name from its fuzzy flowers. Smoke tree flowers form a sort of cloud, as this picture shows.

Most of my pictures of foundation plantings illustrate the norm, where the bed exists on a flat plane. But in this picture, I show a foundation planting done on a slope.