What's Hot in Lawn Care

Deer-proof plants will not only minimize damage from those hoofed marauders, but also keep Lyme disease-bearing ticks away. Growing deer-proof plants is an important first step in the prevention of Lyme disease.

An index of HowTos for the Landscaping guide site.

Gentian sage picture. As the picture shows, gentian sage is one of the best blue colored flowers.

Some of my favorite threads from the Landscape Design Forum. Got questions (or answers)? Post in the Landscape Design Forum, and maybe the thread you start will find its way here someday!

I asked a designer for ideas on deck designs. Here's his response, including his thoughts on curved deck designs.

The scary hockey goalie mask of Jason Vorhees is a natural for scary pumpkin stencils. This printable stencil makes for an easy template to paint a scary jack o' lantern face.

Halloween image showing a witch silhouette.

A key element of lawnmower maintenance for four-cycle (also called "4-stroke") engines is changing lawnmower oil properly. You're checking for two things: the oil's level (using the dipstick) and its cleanliness.

Picture of a white cleome flowers. At 3 to 6 feet, cleome flowers are tall enough to be planted in the back row of a planting bed.

'Exotic plants' may sound 'far out,' but many exotic plants are classified as invasives. Some of the worst invasives in North America hail from the Asia.

Hollyhocks are tall perennial plants effective for the back row of a plant bed. Some hollyhocks have flowers so dark as to be considered "black."

Why wait for problems to arrive when you go to start up your lawn mower, necessitating "troubleshooting?" Why not care for your lawn mowers properly, to avoid troubleshooting altogether?

Available types of mulch, including bark mulch. Alternative types of mulch to bark include wood chips.

Yellow twig dogwood shrubs (or "yellowtwig" dogwoods) are so called due to the golden color of their winter branches. Classified as Cornus stolonifera, yellow twig dogwood shrubs are related to the better known red osiers.

Introduction to the use of geometric patterns in formal garden design history. The influence of geometric patterns in formal garden design history can be traced back to ancient times.

Picture of serviceberry trees in bloom. Shadbush is another name for serviceberry trees.

Vines have multiple uses in the yard. Uses for vines include: for curb appeal, privacy screening, and attracting hummingbirds and butterflies.

Introduction to the history behind the eve before All Hallows' Day, emphasizing the pagan origins of Halloween. The pagan origins of Halloween lie in Celtic belief, although a later influence comes from Christianity through All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day.

Picture of red poppy flower.

This sample landscape design plan shows what the final drawing looks like. The sample landscape design plan uses letters and symbols to save room.