Outdoors

Mulch is an essential component as far as creating a healthy and beautiful landscape is concerned. But, with numerous types of mulch at your disposal, there’s a lot to consider when choosing one that suits you best. Pine bark and cypress are two of the most popular mulch types, and each has its benefits and drawbacks.

Power outages are always frustrating for the homeowner. However, they can also cause more than just inconvenience. When the power surges, it can leave your garage stuck open and your belongings vulnerable.

Raccoons don’t build elaborate nests. Instead, they look for well-equipped shelters and then call them home. Hollowed-out trees and crawl spaces under decks and sheds are all ideal homes for these animals.

One of the best places to find cheap or free materials is by searching online marketplaces. Places like Facebook and Craigslist are wonderful resources for those looking for dirt-cheap or even free garden containers.

There’s nothing like a healthy, green lawn, and I always want it to look that way. But, I never knew what time was right to stop watering it.

Composite decking is a real game changer in the deck-building game. It has all sorts of benefits that often make it a superior choice to the classic wooden decks, not to mention no more splinters in your feet. There are lots of reasons to go with composite decking, from the fact that it’s highly customizable, to its low maintenance needs and its ability to repel dirt. Composite decking is even easy to clean. But when you do need to clean it, can you use a pressure washer?

Fire pits are a part of enjoying fall, and they’re a hugely popular backyard fixture for almost every home. Unfortunately, heavy smoke can be an issue when you’re trying to build up a nice fire. If you’re not a fan of smoke, building a smokeless fire pit might be the best way to get the heat you want without having clouds of smoke blowing in your face.

If one of your sprinkler heads is not working anymore or you just need the sprinkler pattern to change, you may be considering changing the head. But can you switch them with a different style sprinkler head or even a different brand? Before you go and buy the wrong thing, make sure you know what you need.

When considering buying a home, there are different things to take into consideration: neighborhood, infrastructure, highway accessibilities and of course — the size of your home.

Having a nice-looking lawn comes with its own set of responsibilities and maintenance. When choosing between Bermuda and fescue grass, there are a few things to consider. We are going to show the differences between the two, and which might be the right one for your lawn.

Trees swings are an excellent addition to homes for kids, as well as one of the most “ San Francisco” things you can add to a backyard. As long as you have a stable tree, you should be able to hang a tree swing with ease. Of course, most people have trees that have branches that sit parallel to the ground. What do you do, then, if you want to hang a swing on an angled branch?

Modular homes, also known as prefabricated homes, or homes that are built off-site, are quite popular because of how cost-effective and simple they are. Their simplicity and affordability is a huge selling point of modular homes, but many wonder if they will depreciate in value.

Primer bulbs are key components of most new gasoline lawnmower engines. The small plastic bulb plays a vital role in getting the fuel to the carburetor. You may notice that your lawnmower primer bulb has a hole.

The autumn holidays mark the best time of year to use items from your garden to create stunning and memorable decorations. This season is known for colorful leaves, iconic vegetables, and various flowers. It also features pods, pine cones, and grasses that you can easily transform into fall displays, as long as you have creative inspiration to guide you. 

Tropical plants aren’t naturally meant to grow indoors, and that creates some hurdles. Luckily, it’s easier than ever to grow tropical houseplants with modern grow lights and potting mixes. A few simple tricks can ensure optimal growth for your indoor tropical plants, such as:

Bringing new plants home is exciting, but it can also be stressful if you know a lot about gardening. Sneaky pests love hanging out in plant nurseries and hiding in the new purchases of unsuspecting customers. That’s why you must learn how to quarantine new plants.

Does your home have lots of tall trees? Or maybe you have tall shrubs or even high-climbing vines that tend to grow out of control. Regardless of exactly what type of hard-to-reach plant life you have in your yard, it is bound to become difficult and even frustrating to maintain your home’s landscaping once you can no longer reach the plants. This is where pole saws and pole pruners come in handy. But what exactly are pole saws and pole pruners, and when is it a good idea to use one over the other?

Citrus trees are fantastic to grow in subtropical climates and other regions with mild winters. They are usually compact and relatively self-sufficient once established. They also provide numerous benefits, including a wealth of delicious fruit. While most citrus trees produce fruit, harvests can vary significantly year to year. There are, however, several ways you can encourage your citrus trees to produce more fruit year after year.

A key concern when making big investments with regard to your home is whether or not they’re worth it. You want to make sure the return on value or convenience makes up for the money you invested in the first place.

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?

Winterizing your lawncare equipment seems like a fool’s errand at times, but believe me, it’s something you should do. It’s what makes sure that you will be able to use your sprinklers once summer comes around. Like with all chores, there’s a right time and a wrong time to start winterizing your system. But, when’s ideal?

It is illegal to burn leaves in your backyard in some municipalities. States typically don’t enforce bans on burning leaves, and they leave it up to towns and cities. Some municipalities ban leaf burning outright, whereas others require a permit to burn leaves.

Many people struggle to get rid of mysterious plants that seemingly arrive out of nowhere. Unfortunately, these plants are most likely invasive and were brought in from another country long ago. That’s why it’s important to familiarize yourself with invasive plants that grow in the United States.

Changing up the look of your patio is a great way to liven up the outdoor area surrounding your home. You don’t even have to spend big to make significant changes. Focusing on elements such as your patio pavers can bring forth the changes you’re seeking.

As a child, waking up to a snow day is a pleasant surprise. You get to stay home from school, play around in the snow, and maybe sip on some hot chocolate. As adults, the snow is not as fun since it often just stops you from getting on with your day faster.

Starting a vegetable garden in your backyard is a labor of love. There’s a lot of work involved in getting a garden started, but it’s all worth it when you can pick fresh produce and cook it in your kitchen in the summer. Unfortunately, there are a lot of insects and animals that look forward to eating your vegetables as much as you do. 

Contrary to the traditional asphalt and concrete driveways that many of us are familiar with, gravel driveways are proving to be a much more affordable option for homeowners. Not only are they cheaper to install and maintain, but they also generally require fewer repairs over their lifespan.

Whether you’re installing a new garage door or just want to update your current door, you have a decision to make: should you install a belt or chain garage door opener? Both options are effective, but there are pros and cons to each.

Owning a Honda self-propelled lawnmower makes it easy to cut your grass quickly. However, over time, your mower will need routine maintenance and care. One of the most crucial elements to pay attention to is the drive belt. In some cases, this belt can come loose, which means that you’ll have to adjust the tension by tightening it.

The thought of putting worm excrement in your garden may not sound enticing, until you discover its benefits. Worm castings, or excrement, have the essential nutrients that your garden needs. It carries more benefits than what you would get with artificial fertilizers, but without any risk.

Shaded porches serve as both an oasis and an entry to your home. Finding the right plants that can thrive in the shade is easier said than done, however. So, what are the best plants for a shaded porch?

When your lawn mower leaks oil onto your deck, you can overwhelm yourself quickly, thinking of all the potential places that could be leaking. For your sanity, your first step will be to calm down and use this guide to help you find a solution. Today, we will give you a step-by-step lawnmower check to prevent oil from leaking onto your deck.

As outdoor electrical outlets are subjected to different weather patterns, installing them falls under strict building codes. 

The other night, the area around my town had a major storm. It was a thunderbanger, with more lightning and thunder than I knew what to do with. Right across my street is a large power line. I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if lightning decided to strike it. After a while, I decided to research what happens when lightning hits our power sources.

Are you tired of spending your time chopping your wood with an ax? Then you might want to look at getting a log splitter. A log splitter is a tool that is used to cut the wood into a sharpened wedge.

A circular driveway can be an exciting feature to add to your home. Circular driveways offer more space to park and give drivers an option besides backing into the street. They usually fit best on larger properties because there needs to be ample front yard space. 

Although lawnmowers don’t seem too complicated, they have many intricate pieces and moving parts. In many ways, your lawnmower’s engine is very similar to the one in your  car. Various components can wear down and fail, particularly if you haven’t paid much attention to them over the years. The spark plug is one of the most crucial elements in the motor, and if it fails, you will have to replace it.

There are riding, push, and self-propelled mowers. There are mowers that self-bag, that have no bags, and that have built-in mulchers. There are high-powered and pricey riding mowers, and more affordable and basic pushing mowers, and seemingly a million different options for mowers in between. While having choices in mowers is a good thing, it also creates more potential for finding lawn tractor brands to avoid.

If you search the internet for the best types of privacy fences, you’ll see two options pop up frequently. These are the shadow box fence and the board on board fence. So what is the difference between them, and which is better?

A pergola is a great way to add some style or a bit of shade to your yard. A pergola is a series of beams supporting a roof, but there are many different types and styles.

The sight of mushrooms growing on your lawn can be equally puzzling and worrisome. After all, you didn’t plant them, so how they appeared may seem like a grand mystery. Should I be worried about mushrooms in my lawn?

One way to ensure you pick healthy flowers without hurting the plant you are trimming from is to choose the right time of day. Try to pick flowers in the early morning, but before you water the garden for the day. This is when plants are fully hydrated, and the weather is typically cooler. Plants are strong, healthy, and happy at this time. Therefore, taking a few stems won’t hurt them as much at all.

One of the nicest things about having an outdoor space is filling it with your own patio furniture. A couch, a table, some chairs, a sun umbrella…maybe even a fire pit! All these thoughtfully chosen pieces can work together to build your dream home. But patio furniture can also attract an unwanted guest: theft. But is there a best way to secure your patio furniture?

Creating gardens and landscaping near protected wetlands is a unique challenge. Wetlands are fragile ecosystems, and there are often regulations that dictate what you can and can’t plant and install nearby. While restrictions may exist, there are many fun and interesting ways to create lush gardens and stunning landscaping in a yard bordering these natural habitats.

Garage doors are tough and durable parts of your home. They need to be because they are routinely subjected to the elements while keeping a part of your home safe. Still, they aren’t completely immune to getting damaged.

Gardeners love to plant as many perennials as possible to make their springtime list of chores even easier. Perennials come back year after year and bloom for months at a time, but this only happens if you take good care of them. Many homeowners understandably struggle with how to make sure perennials come back.

As the days grow longer and the snow melts, gardeners become eager to get out in the yard and start planting. Spring is a period of rebirth, but this metamorphosis doesn't happen overnight. It takes time and patience. Before you start sticking seedlings and shrubs in the ground, check the soil and get it ready for a fertile year ahead.

Cornhole is a summertime favorite. Friends and family come together to grill, enjoy the sun, and play this summer classic. Buying cornhole boards is an easy thing to do and you can even find some that are customizable with a favorite sports team or design. Others want to create their own cornhole boards.

Bougainvillea loopers most commonly eat bougainvillea leaves. These small caterpillars eat bougainvillea and eventually turn into moths. It can be quite frustrating, as several bougainvillea loopers may eat many leaves throughout the vines at once.

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.

Bees are one of the most important pollinators on the planet. Not only do these famous yellow and black insects give us delicious honey, but they also help many plants reproduce.

Some people jump to conclusions and think they should set harmful traps to get rid of iguanas. However, doing so is inhumane and only serves as a temporary solution. Today, deterring iguanas in a humane way is easier than ever thanks to a few simple methods, such as:

If you’re looking to enhance the aesthetic of your lawn or improve the soil quality in your garden, rakes are your best friend. Whether you’ve been taking care of a garden for many years or it’s your first time, a rake is one piece of lawn equipment that is absolutely essential. Rakes are essential large forks with multiple tines. Most people assume that they are used for collecting leaves, while that is true that’s the only one type of rake.

Having a riding mower can make life easier. Particularly on larger properties, the difference between using a push mower and a riding mower can be night and day. But just like the push mower, a riding mower needs to be mowed properly.

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?

Herb gardens are essential for anyone who loves to cook with fresh ingredients. Without one, grocery bills can become quite expensive, and you are often left using less-fragrant dried spices. Some herbs might not even be readily available in grocery stores. If the only space you have for an herb garden has very little sun, you might wonder if there are any herbs you can grow that require very little light.

Having an outdoor gathering is commonplace in the spring and summer. After all, there is nothing quite like enjoying food, friends, and family with the sun shining overhead. Even if there is no rain in the forecast, it still helps to have some kind of overhead covering.

If you own a LiftMaster garage door opener, then you will know one of the most essential features is the keypad. This keypad allows anyone with the passcode to enter and is a secure method to obtain access to your garage.

A greenhouse is the best bet for many plant enthusiasts to keep their green friends alive during the winter. A greenhouse promises that it creates a bubble of sorts for plants to thrive despite the outside temperature. So, how warm will a greenhouse stay in the winter?

If you are experiencing abnormal water pressure in your house or hearing strange noises near your well pump, there is a good chance that you may be having issues. Because of the high costs of getting plumbing technicians to your house, it is essential to understand how to test a three-wire submersible well pump. Having this knowledge now will prevent your basement from turning into a small lake later.