Fence
When evergreens are interplanted with large shrubs and ornamental trees, windbreaks can do double duty as attractive privacy screens and noise barriers. Adding deciduous plants to a windbreak also broadens its appeal as a wildlife habitat. Choose plants with colorful, nectar-rich flowers and fruit.
Want back deck like this
Back porch idea
Front porch idea
Front porch idea
chain link fence make pretty with wood
fence for deck
sideways slats in chain link fence
modern fence
privacy slat fence
privacy trees, nice pathway
fence: like the idea of wood posts with "chain link" in between
fence for my garden
non ugly chain link fence
No grass yard
No grass around tree, walkway
Gravel walkways with stones
Rethink the Lawn 7. Mow less and ditch the chemicals. Fire your lawnmower, landscape service or pool service. Loud lawn-care equipment contributes to hearing loss, restricts blood flow (which can lead to hypertension), pollutes the air at many times the rate of driving a car, and leads to millions of spilled gallons of gasoline each year — not to mention the 23 million tons of lawn clippings that go into landfills that could be turned into compost. Mow twice a month (less in the heat of summer) and let the grass grow a bit longer — if you do, the roots will grow deeper, and the height will shade the ground, increasing soil moisture. Consider lessening your impact by using an electric mower or even a reel mower (the latter has come a long way since the good old days). Chemical fertilizers and pesticides are toxic to wildlife, pets, kids and adults, and may lead to autoimmune diseases, birth defects and learning disabilities. Avoid them.
love less grass yards
love the overgrown stone pathway
metal planters, paint house all one color (brick and siding)
On the other side of the fence, a path of pea gravel and stepping stones leads to a garden shed.
This small vegetable garden packs a lot into a tiny space. A gate and curving path like these would make mundane tasks like weeding and watering a delight.
This homeowner replaced his lawn with a long grass, Nepeta, and oregano. He did it himself in stages, and it has a free-form flow that is natural and pleasing
This border of Annabelle hydrangea with a towering hedge of yew stopped me in my tracks. The yew not only provides complete privacy from the newer housing development behind it, but it also beautifully highlights the hydrangea. The look is so simple and yet so stunning. I realized it's the perfect solution for camouflaging the ugly wood retaining walls in an area of my own yard.
shed idea? at end of carport , place for garbage cans, tools inside and deck/patio extending from the back
shed idea? at end of carport , place for garbage cans, tools inside and deck/patio extending from the back
shed idea? at end of carport , place for garbage cans, tools inside and deck/patio extending from the back
shed idea? at end of carport , place for garbage cans, tools inside and deck/patio extending from the back
shed idea? at end of carport , place for garbage cans, tools inside and deck/patio extending from the back
consider creating some low walls with openwork panels. This is especially effective in smaller townhouse front yards, where the only option for seating is directly adjacent to a neighbor's space. You can still see over these walls and actually through them, but their construction provides a bit of separation and delineation from the neighbor's yard.
nice xeriscaping
front yards: Add a deck. Decks may not be the first thing that come to mind when considering front yard options, but if they work well in the backyard, there's no reason to exclude them from the front. Extend one from your house or create one that is freestanding, but be sure to check your local building codes before breaking ground.
like the privacy fence
3. Healthy space for family. A native plant garden means you won’t likely have to fertilize or spray, which means a space welcoming to sensitive insects who, through pollination, are responsible for one in three bites of food we take. Without insects we would exist in far fewer numbers. But a chemical-free landscape is also safe for kids and pets. A recent USDA study tested 1,000 people for 20 common pesticides and found that the test subjects had an average of 13 pesticides in their system. These pesticides come from the food we eat and the environments we walk in and, in turn, bring into the house. Using native plants can mitigate and often negate the need for sprays in the landscape, and you’re helping create a wildlife refuge out back.
1. Less maintenance. My mom loves roses, but when I thought of her and planted a few, they died. I wasn’t willing to baby them at any stage. I believe in tough-love gardening — in fact, my mom taught me tough love as a parenting strategy (one this mama’s boy sorely needed). If a plant doesn’t take care of itself, I don’t have it in my garden. As I researched native plants, I found out that if properly sited, they should flourish. And if I accepted that when native plants — for me prairie plants — went through drought, they might slow down, be shorter or bloom less, I could accept not having a "perfect" garden. In fact, not knowing precisely what the garden will look like from year to year makes it more exciting.
1. Learn how to get a high-end look on a budget. Sometimes a small detail, like extra-large (and superstuffed) throw pillows, can make your entire space feel more luxurious — even if your sofa is from Ikea. Familiarize yourself with other decorator tricks, like painting interior doors black and adding architectural molding to bland spaces, and you will soon be on your way to creating a fabulously rich-looking space without overspending.
love the green mossy looking grass---Highlight textures. Play with grasses that stand out for their texture rather than their color. Mexican feather grass (Stipa tenuissima, zones 6 to 10), for example, has beautiful fine foliage and a billowy inflorescence. This is a very versatile plant that's native to the Southwest, but I have seen this plant thrive for several years in gardens on the East Coast. In the mid-Atlantic, I like this planted in blocks around flowering perennials, like giant hyssop (Agastache 'Blue Fortune', zones 5 to 9).
Embrace seasonal color changes. Japanese forest grass (Hakenachloa macra, zones 5 to 9) may be one of the finest woodland grasses for dry shade. The foliage always looks clean and lush in summer and turns a beautiful blonde in the winter. The chartreuse foliage of the cultivar 'All Gold' brightens landscapes, and I've never seen it revert the way other cultivars do. Try these two under maples and other trees with surface roots.
Look for year-round green. Autumn moor grass, a tough plant that will take a variety of soils, makes a great ground cover. This grass stays evergreen through most winters in the Philadelphia area — a pleasant burst of color in dreary weather. Along with reed grass (Calamagrostis brachytricha, zones 4 to 9) and most Carex, this grass grows with great success in light shade.
Stay low maintenance. Underplanting airy, warm-season woody shrubs, like Perovskia, can help suppress early cool-season weeds. Grasses like autumn moor grass (Sesleria autumnalis, zones 5 to 8), prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis; zones 3 to 9) or sedge (Carex pensylvanica, zones 3 to 8) can also help reduce management needs. Grand masses of grasses complement blocks of perennials in this landscape, along with a favorite woody perennial, Russian sage (Perovskia atrriplicifolia, zones 5 to 9). Both of these grasses are long lived and in time win out over most weeds. Underplanting these with bulbs won't disturb the roots of grasses.
Consider views from your home. Choosing plants that change color throughout the year can make a powerful impact, even in the winter. Reed grass (Calamagrostis spp), bluestem (Andropogon spp), woodoats (Chasmanthium spp) and Spodiopogon are a few of my favorite grasses in the frost and snow. This maiden grass (Miscanthus sinensis 'Gracillimus', zones 5 to 9) shows the magic of the winter landscape — I love how the snow sits on the seed heads.
Covered deck, walkway
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