Blending Decks Into Yards And Landscapes
Vary the heights of plantings so that they make a smooth transition from deck base to the soil below by planting taller perennials close to the deck and gradually decreasing the height as the garden merges with the grass. This same philosophy ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
A Pesticide Primer
Bacillus Thuringiensis - (called BT) Kills small caterpillars and grubs. Is harmless to people, animals, birds or good bugs. There are different varieties for each insect, as well as a long lasting solid BT for mosquito larvae. (Trade name ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
An Illusion Of Neatness
The lawn is most important for an illusion of neatness. A lawn doesn't have to be good grass, just uniformly flat and hopefully green. No fuzzy seedheads, no different heights, no big bare spots. This may mean mowing a little oftener, and also ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
Backyard Pond
For ponds, consider a mix of emergent, submergent, and floating species. Emergent plants, those that have their roots in the water but their shoots above water, can be added to the margins of pools. These include cattails (Typha spp.), arrowhead ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
Backyard Wetland
The saturation of the soil limits the types of plants you can grow to those with "wet feet." How long the soil is saturated determines which wetland plants will grow best. There are many small wetland plants that grow quickly when the soil is ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
Bearded Iris - Early Summer's Colorful Show
Most bearded iris have one bloom period, lasting about a month, but some newer introductions have the capacity to bloom a second (or third) time. Reblooming iris are extra-vigorous growers. They bloom in spring, earlier than normal, then again in ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
Beware Of Birdseed!
They are slow and easy to swat, but it's the ones you don't see who do the damage. I put bags of bread crumbs as bait near the birdseed corner for them to lay their eggs in, changing them every 2 weeks since their life cycle is about 30 days. I ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
Beware Of Invasive Vines
You Can Avoid this by choosing ground covers that do not vine and climb. One of the best is Myrtle. With shiny, delicate evergreen leaves and blue spring flowers, in the shade it remains an elegant plant that can cover large areas. Evergreen ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
Composting
With cold or slow composting, you can just pile grass clippings and dry leaves on the ground or in a bin. This method requires no maintenance, but it will take several months to a year or more for the pile to decompose. Cold composting works well ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
Bringing Outside Plants Indoors For The Winter
As the glorious palette of fall unfolds and fades in the northern parts of the country, can Jack Frost be far behind? And those beautiful tender summer flowers in pots which are still in their glory, can they be saved for another day? Well, some ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
Bulb Profile: Daffodils
All of these names refer to this lovely yellow spring flower, but here are some distinctions. Narcissus is the botanical name of the entire genus, and is often used to refer to white-flowered types or those that grow in clusters. Daffodil ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
Bulb Profile: Tulips
The history of tulips is as colorful as the flowers. In the 1600s, tulips were pleasures only the very wealthy could enjoy. Rare and beautiful, they were status symbols of European aristocrats. Then, a buying mania exploded. By 1624, the craze ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
