Outdoors

Pot mums are one of many Chrysanthemum varieties that can help with allergies. Not only do pot mums help clean the air, but they are also quite low-maintenance. You can even grow pot mums from cuttings; the results come quickly.

Every home needs a beautiful deck.  A place to cookout with friends or just sit outside and relax. If you want to build your own deck, you need to do it right. The best way to make a perfect deck is to stagger the deck boards.

Decorative brick pavers are an excellent way to add visual interest around your property without breaking the bank – whether they’re used in the construction of patios, walkways, or pathways around a pool. Over time, age and exposure to the elements will cause brick pavers to fade and discolor. This is especially the case when the color is only applied on the surface of the pavers.

Being a homeowner means you not only have to care for the house’s interior, but you must also give some attention to your curb appeal! Who doesn’t want to come home to a lush, green lawn?

There is nothing worse than being stuck with a bad lease or landlord. Whether you’re struggling to pay rent or want to move somewhere else, sometimes the only option is to break the lease or get evicted. So, is it better to break a lease or get evicted?

Mowing the lawn is an important, but often dreaded activity. As the summer heat increases, this chore can become hot, sweaty, and altogether exhausting. So, there may come a time when you have procrastinated longer than you should have, and find yourself needing to mow the lawn in the immediate future. But if the immediate future calls for rain, you might find yourself wondering if you can cut the grass when it is still wet.

If you want to update your outdoor space, building an outdoor kitchen is the way to go. If you’re going to have a luxurious outdoor experience, you’ll need to have the right design. Use this as a guide to create the perfect dimensions for your outdoor kitchen.

As a mom of two, I’ve taken my boys to many a playground. Sometimes they come home with wood stuck to their socks. Other times, they have bits of rubber in their shoes.

Spring looms like a faint light on the horizon that grows stronger every day, and this brightening light serves as a friendly reminder that gardening season will soon be upon us. When planting a vegetable garden, planning in the late winter and early spring can make all the difference in yielding a bountiful crop of vegetables in the summer. To ensure you are taking care of all your needs in advance, it is important to know all the common vegetable garden mistakes you should avoid this spring.

A wooden fence adds much-needed security and privacy to your property. It’s also an aesthetic addition that can increase your home’s value. Installing your own wooden fence is a move that makes a lot of sense.

Summer heat waves have become common throughout the world, and these prolonged periods of hot weather make it more challenging to keep plants alive. Your garden needs plenty of water in the heat of summer, but it can be uncomfortable and dangerous to spend hours watering outside when temperatures are high. 

A lawn mower helps boost your curb appeal and helps you maintain your backyard. If you have a large model that doesn’t fit into storage, you might be concerned about leaving it outside. Electric lawn mowers average $500 per machine, so you want to protect your investment as much as possible.

Outdoor garden kitchens are increasingly popular, especially in areas with great weather year-round. After all, who wouldn’t want to cook some great meals surrounded by their favorite plants? However, you’re not alone if you are curious about how to maintain a garden kitchen.

Improving your home can be done in a variety of ways. You can invest in a new room, make some long-overdue repairs, or work on your backyard. Even a minor home addition can make a real difference.

The key to a healthy lawn and garden is a reliable sprinkler system. There are a number of models out there today that can be easily attached to your garden hose and the majority of the work is done – all that may be required is for you to move the sprinkler to various locations around your lawn. For the ultimate convenience, you could consider installing an underground sprinkler system set on a timer to ensure even, efficient watering.

A riding lawn mower makes cutting your lawn a breeze because it gets the job done quickly and easily. Getting the most out of your Craftsman Riding Mower is essential, but the blade may leave bare patches if the mower deck is too low. Adjusting the mower deck’s height may take a bit of time, but the result should be worth the effort.

On a hot summer day, a bit of shade makes life outside a lot more tolerable. Shade protects your skin, keeps you cool, and can also shelter some of your more vulnerable plants. While building an outdoor roof or large shaded structure can be an expensive and complicated undertaking, there are many ways to create more shade in your yard on a tight budget.

A raised fire pit in the backyard is a beautiful way to create an outdoor space that is both aesthetically pleasing and functional for parties or get-togethers. Putting a  canopy over your fire pit can help protect the flame from the elements, but little is known about whether or not this is a safe practice.

If you really think about it, modern homes are pretty cozy. Even a relatively cheap garage offers a lot of protection from the elements in most cases. It’s unsurprising, then, that many birds seem to prefer building their nests in garages. Unfortunately for them, we don’t want them there and they can actually pose a health risk in some cases. So, how do you get a bird that’s there to leave?

Black walnut trees are sought after because they look great in any yard. Because of that, many builder-owners or large property owners looking to rejuvenate their landscape wonder just how much a black walnut tree is worth.

Weather conditions these days are unpredictable. Just as there are record-high temperature records each year, there are also shocking cold snaps in unexpected places. These cold snaps can reach below freezing and happen rather suddenly. So, if there is an overnight frost, and you have left vulnerable plants outside, you will want to know what you can do to keep them alive.

Known for its signature star shape, Nelly Moser Clematis is a favorite of gardeners everywhere. This pink floral vine is easy to grow and adapts easily to its environment. Because of this, Nelly Moser Clematis’s growth can get out of hand if not tended to properly, so it’s important to know how to prune a Nelly Moser Clematis.

Lawnmowers rely on numerous components working in unison in order to deliver the performance expected of them. If even one of those components is not working properly, you may encounter issues while trying to maintain your yard.

If you love gardening but live somewhere with cold temperatures for most of the year, you have learned over time that your options are limited. Many flowers, shrubs, and fruit trees that thrive in many climates simply don’t survive in some places with short growing seasons. The same is true for vegetables. But if you live somewhere with a short growing season, you will be happy to learn there are several vegetables that you can still harvest successfully.

Picture it: you buy a new home or a plot of land, and it’s time to make your own. Adding a beautiful paver patio or walkway is the perfect addition to any yard or garden. There are several different ways to get the job done. 

Asphalt is an affordable material that is used for driveways, roads, and parking lots. It is a durable material that requires relatively low maintenance. When it’s time to install a new asphalt driveway for your home, you need to know how much weight the material can hold.

Skinks may appear gross and scary, but they are far from it. While these small garden lizards aren’t dangerous, they are still a nuisance and can be quite annoying to deal with. Many homeowners understandably struggle with how to get rid of skinks.

When it comes to doing home improvement, there are certain things one has to get to accomplish a project. It can be tempting to do your own work to straighten and repair your garage door. Paint, screwdrivers, and measuring tape are your typical necessary supplies, but do you need a permit to put a door in your garage? 

Pea gravel is commonly used for walkways, driveways, and as filler between stone pavers around the home. It consists of small, rounded stones and is commonly used for high-traffic areas due to its smooth finish. However, since the gravel is loose, people often need to know how to stabilize pea gravel.

It’s no secret that dogs are sensitive to sounds, and that’s why dog whistles are a big part of canine training. You can use sound to deter dogs with an ultrasonic device. Ultrasonic devices produce sounds that deter dogs, cats, snakes, deer, rabbits, and many pests. 

Painting your garage is a great way to improve the look of the space and make the walls easier to clean. But you might be struggling to figure out what kind of paint to use on garage walls. Your garage is sort of inside but sort of outside, so what paint is best?

Adding an automated garage door to your home can make a big difference in your daily routine. It lets you do away with the hassles that usually accompanied your morning and evening commutes.

Electric or automatic driveway gates are growing in popularity for many residences in the U.S. Not only are they visually appealing and improve the curb appeal of the property, they also increase convenience and enhance home security. Opposed to gates that are operated manually, automatic driveway gates offer more control over who comes on your property while also eliminating the need to leave your car or home to open the gate for yourself or a guest.

Adding a palapa to your patio or backyard setup is a fantastic and often affordable way to add tropical ambiance to your space. Palapas originated in Mexico, but you can now find them at nearly every tiki bar, resort pool, and beach bar all over the globe. Building a palapa yourself is certainly possible, and the materials are relatively affordable. But when you build one, you should follow several steps to ensure you build a palapa that will last a long time.

Knowing how to locate your septic tank is essential for maintaining and taking care of your septic system. It’s also crucial that you know where your field lines just in case you need to dig for any of your projects. But how exactly do you locate your field lines?

A pergola is a wonderful and show-stopping outdoor structure that provide sshade and opulence. It also gives you additional usable space in your backyard. Most pergolas look lovely on their own, but a lot of these structures can benefit from a bit of plant life. While some people opt to garden along the borders of a pergola, to truly bring some charm and whimsy to your pergola, you should introduce a vine or creeping plant.

When you’ve had a riding lawnmower for so long, one thing you’ll start to notice is that it will get slower. When that happens, it will take longer to mow the yard, meaning that your machine is working less efficiently. If you have a hydrostatic mower, you might want to increase the speed so that you can get the job done in less time.

You have finally decided to bite the bullet and install that long-awaited irrigation system in your lawn. You are ready to order your materials and the supply house salesman throws you a curve. Do you want SDR21 or Schedule 40 pipe?  What is the difference, and how do you tell?

One great way to deter skunks from entering and spraying in your yard is to install outdoor motion sensor lights. Skunks are nocturnal animals, which means they do most of their moving around at night. Motion-sensor outdoor lighting tends to startle nocturnal animals and usually makes them want to head elsewhere.

Building a deck means that you’re going to have to make a lot of decisions. This includes choosing the right materials for your deck, down to the very wood it’s made from. In recent years, upscale homes have started to build decks from tigerwood. Its popularity definitely got it to earn some stripes, but is it really worth the roar of attention that it’s been getting as of late?

Stihl is one of the leading names in power tools and lawn equipment due to its ease of use and quality. Whether it be a weed eater, chainsaw, or leaf blower, the average homeowner can easily use one of Stihl’s tools. However, sometimes getting a leaf blower started can be a hurdle at first, so what should you do?

The cactus plant is known for being a staple of desert environments, but it also deserves a spot inside your home. The cactus plant can provide some fresh air of its own and its unique appearance is also a welcome sight.

How big are the pots that your houseplants are in? Plants must have the correct-sized pot whether you put them inside or outside. For example, a plant with big, deep roots simply cannot thrive in a small pot.

The cost to start a garden ultimately depends on its size and which plants you choose. Factors such as extensive landscaping can add thousands to the cost, but that may not be necessary. Several important factors affect the cost of making a garden, such as:

It never hurts to invest in your lawn’s future when you consider the curb appeal that lush grass adds. Grass seeds goes a long way, so many homeowners hold onto grass seed for months or even years at a time. When the time comes to plant the old grass seeds, many homeowners wonder; how long does grass seed last?

Between their appearance and dietary habits, carnivorous plants are endlessly fascinating. Mostly known as vicious bug predators in tropical areas, carnivorous plants have proven they can grow in many environments, inside or outside. So, what are the best carnivorous plants for indoors?

The most important part of your garage door’s mechanics is its rollers. Without these, your garage door isn’t moving anywhere.

The sight of ants in your yard or home can understandably be discomforting. Not only are ant hills ugly, but they can indicate that you have an upcoming ant problem on your hands. Many homeowners have asked themselves the question: why are there so many ant hills in my yard?

Flowering plants and trees can have a considerable impact on your landscaping and overall curb appeal. Crape Myrtle trees are very popular, but with many different varieties, it can be difficult to know which to choose. Between the Red Rocket Crape Myrtle and Dynamite Crape Myrtle, which is the best for your lawn?

There’s something extremely satisfying about tending to a vegetable garden and growing your own food. Whether planting leafy greens, juicy tomatoes, or crunchy broccoli, it’s also a boon to your health. Mulch helps protect plants from the elements, among other benefits, but what is the best mulch for vegetable gardens?

In the colder months of the year, it can be difficult and uncomfortable to work in your garage or workshop without a heat source. The frigid conditions can make it difficult to get things done when all you can think about is how cold it is.

It can get discouraging when you hit the throttle on the leaf blower, and it bogs down. When starting a job, you look forward to the result of a clean yard. There are a few things you can do to fix and prevent a leaf blower from stalling.

Vegetable and herb gardens are a great way to have the freshest ingredients at your fingertips while also saving you a few dollars in the process. While these gardens tend to save you plenty of money in the long run, they do cost money to maintain. If, however, you plant herbs and vegetables that grow back every year, you’ll save time and money year after year.

Before you think about cutting your grass, you first need to inspect all your equipment. Tune up your mower, and give it a good cleaning after a long winter in storage. Change the oil in gas mowers, and make sure electric mowers have fully functional batteries.

When you own a good amount of land, the upkeep can be a little more comprehensive. Mowing a larger lawn can become a little overwhelming with just a push mower at your disposal. Thankfully, there are riding lawn mowers that can make the job a bit easier.

Building an outdoor shed can be an exciting weekend project. Maybe you’re expanding your storage space, or even creating a man cave or a tiny home. In any case, a safe and long-lasting shed requires a solid foundation. But what if your shed site has uneven ground?

Every step you take to prepare a garden ultimately determines how well your plants will thrive. Whether it be the consistency of the soil or the nutrients you use, everything plays a role in your garden’s longevity. So, does a garden need to be level?

Your trusted and reliable Briggs and Stratton engine is showing signs of trouble.  You have noticed gas leaking around the air filter.  You begin to wonder if it is time to replace that old engine with a new one.

If you love seeing a little bit of structure in your garden, a pergola is a good way to get it. Pergolas act as a nice way to get a little bit of well-deserved shade in the sunny part of your deck. It also tends to be the best way to give your morning glories a place to climb. Many people leave pergolas plain in wood, but some paint them. Ever wonder which paint colors are best?

As you’re getting ready to build your own deck, you may come across mentions of wet wood. Whether it’s from a rainstorm the night before or the natural water content in the material, wet wood is a common problem. Can you build a deck with wet wood?