Outdoors Gardening

Weeds find a way of popping out of the tiniest cracks around your home, even if you have a small yard. If you are getting your home ready for guests, you might try pulling weeds in order to have the area looking its best. You will, however, quickly find weed pulling can be back-breaking work. This is where products like Roundup weed killer can come in handy. But how long does it take for Roundup to work?

Peppermint is the king of mint. It is the most widely used, and also the most famous mint variety. It’s found in tea, candy, and even cosmetics. Peppermint has a very high menthol content. Menthol has great natural cooling properties.

There are many benefits to having a birdbath in your yard. This garden feature attracts various species of birds, which is great for bird watchers and for the plants in your garden. Birds and other pollinators flock to these pools of water, pollinate your garden, and eat many garden pests at the same time. To ensure your birdbath continues to serve a vital function on your property, you need to know how to properly clean and fill it.

Countless homeowners take pride in their gardens up until the day they sell their houses and beyond. A nice landscape and garden are something to be proud of as a homeowner. So, does a garden increase home value?

You can stop your dog from destroying your plants with both household and store-bought remedies. The key is to make your dog want to avoid eating your plants altogether. Luckily, many of the best ways to stop dogs from eating your plants are easy, such as:

Some lizards have a diverse diet, but you can always count on them eating insects. Insects attract hungry lizards to many people’s yards as they provide a steady food source. You’re more likely to see a lot of lizards in your yard if you have an insect problem. 

Millennials are known for their love of avocado toast as well as their love of gardening. It comes as no surprise, then, that many of us are now looking at growing our own avocado trees in hopes of getting a steady influx of avocados for breakfast. Of course, this is only doable in the warmer regions of the United States, and even then, it can take a while for avocado trees to bear fruit.

Walk behind string trimmers are exceptional at reaching places that standard lawnmowers can’t go. If you want to up the ante, can you put a blade on a walk behind string trimmer?

One of the best ways to soothe the unbearable allergic reaction associated with poison ivy is to apply calamine lotion. This lotion is derived from the calamine mineral. It is pink in color and is one of the most popular lotions to treat itching associated with ailments like chicken pox, mosquito bites, and even sunburn.

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:

Most of the world’s stunning blossoms require plenty of sunlight to thrive. This is because sunlight gives plants the energy to create stunning and intricate flowers, but sometimes, too much sun can have fatal consequences. With intense sunlight and long days, the dangers of extreme heat and dehydration become very real. If you live in an area with very hot summers, then you need to find flowering plants that can withstand these arid, sunny conditions.

Almost every kitchen has eggs in it. After you crack eggs, you may set them aside for your compost, or simply toss them in the trash. Moving forward, consider crushing them up and adding them to your soil.

Have you noticed that your sprinklers don’t hit every part of your lawn? If so, that can explain why there are patches of dead grass in your yard. Sprinkler placement is everything when it comes to evenly watering your lawn.

Buying new plants from a nursery is exciting, but it also takes a lot of consideration. After all, bringing home an unhealthy plant is like throwing money away. You’re not alone if you want to know what to look for when you buy new plants.

One of the best and most popular uses for coconut coir in a garden is to improve soil aeration. If you live somewhere with dense or clay-like soil that is easily compacted, then coconut coir can make your soil conditions more favorable.

If you have acidic soil, one of the best plants to add to your garden is a blueberry bush. Blueberries are tasty and healthy berries that have all sorts of benefits. They can double as privacy hedges and provide beautiful foliage in the fall.

A greenhouses is a great luxury, but that doesn’t mean running one is always easy by any means. Many people worry about disease, fungi, and pests infiltrating their greenhouse and wreaking havoc. That’s why we put together a list of the most common greenhouse pests and how to get rid of them.

Growing vegetables in a garden is a simple way to get fresh veggies. Growing certain things is a relatively easy endeavor, too. Even still, there are certain things that can impact things like tomatoes and even cucumber plants.

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?

Creeping Charlie can kill other plants in your yard once it spreads far enough. This creeping plant features a toxin that can suppress and kill other plants. The toxin is also harmful to livestock, such as cows and horses.

When it rains heavily, it’s normal to see mushrooms pop up in mulch and outcroppings of rocks in the forest. It can look like you’re ready to get faeries visiting, right? Cute as it is to see in the forest, it’s not exactly cute in your yard. This is especially true if you have pets that could eat those potentially-toxic mushrooms. So, how do you get rid of these faerie rings in your yard?

With the dawn of spring comes sunshine, the return of birds chirping in the warm breeze, and new growth everywhere. Daffodils and tulips make their early presence known, and of course, there is your lawn.

Owning a riding mower comes with many perks, but it can also require routine care and maintenance. One of the most common steps to take care of on your riding mower is to regularly change the blades. However, since the machine can be quite heavy, this process is not always simple.

With a name like burning bush, it’s no surprise this stunning plant has beautiful colors in autumn. These plants have plentiful blueish-green leaves in the spring and summer months. In the fall, however, they turn bright orange to deep red.

Roses are the oldest flower ever recorded with archaeologists finding a rose fossil from 35 million years ago. In fact, the oldest living rose is more than a thousand years old! There are over two thousand types of roses from short ground cover to large rose bushes and heirloom to wild. That makes answering the question of when roses bloom a difficult one.

A neighbor who has experience with chainsaws borrowed yours a couple of weeks ago for some yard work. When he returned the chainsaw, he put it back up on the shelf for you. Now, you plan to do some trimming in the yard, so you haul down the chainsaw. But wait a minute.

Keeping your yard beautifully landscaped is the perfect way to not only make your home look beautiful but also to give you some much-needed privacy. Adding just the right bushes, trees, and plants can make a home unique and be an appealing target for animals like deer to grab a quick meal. If you live in an area with a high deer population, you will want to search for deer-resistant plants to keep your landscaping and yard looking fantastic, even with deer roaming the area.

If you have a garden or potted plants, then you know they need a little extra attention from time to time. In addition to watering your plants on a regular and scheduled basis, potted plants and gardens alike need nutrients for them to grow and thrive. These nutrients are often supplied through compost and store-bought fertilizer, but these costs can add up. You will be happy to know that you can add some household waste to potting soil to provide necessary nutrients.

The average homeowner rushes to plant as many flowers as possible during spring and early summer. However, that’s not the only time of the year that plants can take root, bloom, and thrive. So, what are the best flowers to plant in late summer?

Usually, when mowing your lawn, the biggest problem you have to worry about is the heat and how long it will take to cut the grass. However, sometimes, you might run into more problems. Since lawnmowers are relatively complex machines, they can wear down over time. If you notice that your mower is shutting off or losing power while cutting, it could be a sign of some potentially serious issues.

Ivy is a type of plant that grows best for ground cover or climbing up structures such as buildings or trees. They are a fast-growing plant that grows great in both indoor and outdoor settings. You can plant your ivy to grow up structures or cover arbors in your garden. To use as an indoor houseplant, you can place it in a decorative basket and add it to a beautiful shelving unit as a piece of decor.

When properly placed, trees in the backyard can make for a beautiful visual aesthetic. It can also provide quality privacy in areas where homes are closely bunched together. Maintaining privacy in those close quarters can be of the utmost importance.

Spider mites can wreak havoc on plants and even kill them. They can quickly turn your idyllic garden into a nightmare that is hard to recover from. Many homeowners struggle with how to get rid of spider mites.

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.

It’s easy to fall behind on picking up dog waste in your yard, especially after a long day at work. However, animal waste can attract botflies to your yard. They are drawn to many types of decaying organic matter, and that includes dog waste. 

Building a fence along your property line has many potential benefits. It adds privacy to your yard, reduces noise, and keeps your pets safe. While there are many reasons to build a fence, the act of installing one along your property line can cause friction with your neighbors. To avoid conflicts when you install a fence, consider ways to keep your neighbors calm and happy.

Composting is equally rewarding, exciting, and intimidating, especially if you’re new to it. After all, it takes a lot of preparation, and you must closely monitor it throughout the process, which can raise many questions. So, is it normal to have bugs in compost?

One of the most deadly reptiles in America is the rattlesnake. This snake is known for its shaking tail that makes a loud, rattling sound. The snake often makes this sound when an animal (or human) gets too close for its comfort.

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.

Perennials go dormant by early-to-mid fall in most climates. It depends on the temperature and how quickly it gets cold where you live. The process is often slow, and perennials begin their dormant stage between late August and mid-September in most places.

Since your home’s lawn will require different amounts of water for different times of the year, it is vital that your sprinkler system is programmed accordingly. It should also be adjusted as needed about once a month.

There are several different kinds of flowers in the Dianthus genus. Some of these include carnations, Sweet Williams, and maiden pinks. Dianthus flowers have pink, lavender, or pink blooms and these flowers are extremely popular with gardeners.

Some homeowners embrace the fall and winter, whereas others dread the cold temperatures. However, many can agree that taking a break from many standard yard chores, like mowing the lawn, can be nice. So, when should you stop mowing your lawn before the winter?

There are tons of different types of bonsai trees. Just about any tree can be altered into a bonsai form. Therefore, there is not a universal growing condition that bonsais enjoy. There are, however, a few challenges to growing bonsai indoors.

Proper irrigation is an important aspect of lawn maintenance, and irrigation sprinklers can water lawns, crops, or other landscapes. Sprinkler heads are divided into different zones of the property to ensure that all areas are irrigated. A common problem that occurs is one zone that won’t work or a sprinkler system not working in all zones. 

A juicy ripe tomato in your garden is a sign of a job well done. You have likely waited very patiently for months for your tomatoes to ripen in order to feast on them. This makes it all the more tragic when you go to your garden to pick tomatoes only to see that birds have savagely feasted on your pride and joy. In order to avoid this heartbreak, you will want to know all the ways to keep birds from eating tomatoes in your garden.

Chrysanthemums, a.k.a. mums are a wonderful, vibrant choice for a fall garden. Many gardeners love them because they are strong, hardy plants who thrive even when slightly neglected.

Do you know your neighbor well? If so, it’s worth simply telling them that you wish they would cut their grass. Granted, this can be uncomfortable if you have no relationship, but it’s worth it if the tall grass is a problem.

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.

Photographs and memes of bright sunflowers facing each other have long circulated the internet and been the subject of many chain emails. The memes suggest that when the weather is cloudy or, overcast sunflowers will turn to face one another. Sunflowers can feed off each other’s energy by facing each other, or so the belief and widely circulated memes tout. But is this true?

We’ve all seen a bare patch of land where grass once grew, but now only contains a sad mound of dirt. Terrible, isn’t it? If you’re like many homeowners, you want to avoid that ever being your lawn. Sometimes, though, things happen. Then, you need to take care of that issue ASAP, and that’s where a hidden technique called hydroseeding comes into play.

Nothing is worse for bulbs than soggy soil. Soil can become soggy due to overwatering and excessive rain, but it’s often a drainage issue. Some soil simply retains too much water and drains it too slowly.

Monstera plants don’t drink a ton of water, and this is because they like to be surrounded by moisture. Unfortunately, most homes are significantly drier than a Monstera plant would like. While you don’t need to find ways to increase the humidity in your home, you should ensure your Monstera stays moist.

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.

Nothing is as annoying as going to water your plants and finding out that deer have been nibbling on them. This can hinder plant growth and will continue to happen until you address the problem. Understandably, many homeowners struggle with how to keep deer away from plants.

You may be familiar with lemon balm if you know much about adaptogens. Adaptogens naturally trigger the stress response system to relieve anxiety. It’s a beautiful, tasty herb that provides a natural, healthy way to cope with stress and anxiety. 

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 sometimes nothing more than an eyesore, and sometimes it is much more. Regardless of how it is perceived though, that hole in the yard or glaringly uneven area in the lawn is a problem. The simple answer, of course, is to fill the hole or build up the low spot. That is where the real question also arises. Namely, those questions typically sound like what can or should be used to fill that hole in the yard? Can sand, topsoil, fill dirt, or potting soil be used?

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.

One of the jobs that go with having a beautiful landscape or a productive vegetable garden is weeding. Weeds, it seems, will sprout, and grow almost anywhere, but most often where you don’t want them. Many gardeners consider using one of the many chemical controls. Often, where landscapes or garden plots are mulched, people wonder if you can use Preen on top of the mulch to control weeds.