Backyard Ideas

I need to purchase mature shrubs and have limited funds. My shrubs were removed by mistake over two (2) years ago and I need to plant new ones. However, I need to know what to purchase and if nursery have warranties. I live in Maryland and would like suggestions on nurseries and plants. I do not have a green thumb. I want something that requires very little care and can withstand sun.

I have used Spirea with success. They are very pretty and have required very little attention. You can prune them if you want to in Feb/March. The kind that I chose are called little princess and they have pretty pink flowers on them in May. We live in Iowa so we have very cold winters and extremely humid/hot summers. My shrubs face south and have been extremely drought tolerant. I have had excellent luck purchasing things like this at WalMart. Shrubs are easy as long as you plant them properly (dig your hole big enough and deep enough, with plenty of water) and keep them watered after you plant them the first year. Good Luck to you. I've attached a picture of the shrubs below.

My husband and I are looking to redo our front and backyard on our house and wanted to know if anyone knows of a good reputible landscape designer in Phoenix area, I am actually in Scottsdale. Thanks.

I live in the Phoenix area myself, we had this company, Pullen Lawn Concepts, come out and redo our backyard over the summer. They did an unbelievable job. We had them completely overhaul it, add a fire pit, ramada, putting green, and a bunch of plants, not to mention lay a brick patio. They handled everything from design to installation. I highly recommend using them. They have a website too that you can go to to see some pictures of their actual work. www.pullenlawnconcepts.com Hope this helps. Good Luck.

i want to use rock for drainage but im scared it will after having become wind-swept lead to some law suits. what size rock has both good looks for a yard and will allow water to drain away but will not become projectiles in tornadic winds?

We have really high winds here and we just put in some 3/4 inch chopped rock (its not smooth) it works great for drainage and also is too big for wind to move. Its not nice to walk on barefooted but for all purposes you listed, it will be perfect!

I'm looking to border the bottom gap of my deck (about 2-3 feet high) with bamboo rolls instead of lattice. Not sure where to find this after having failed to find it on the big Lowes/Depot stores. Thanks.

i have these in my garden but bigger. going out of fashion a bit. Scotsdales of Shelford nr Cambridge still have them and you can order over the internet.

My backyard is concrete is it in pretty bad shape and I am looking to do something to it without spending a fortune. Its roughly about 30X16, which I calculate to be about 488 sf. Any ideas would be appreciated.

epoxy paint is a cheaper way to go

Caroline Tilston, author of the Garden Style Guides, gives you a quick introduction to the essentials for getting started in your garden or outside space

Duration : 0:2:37

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yes first of all u need to think a name for your business u will
register this name after that u goona need a licence to run your business open a bank account on your business name.

It is not a large scale project, but a small area in the backyard.

I would suggest that you check out Angie's List. I've had great luck with them. They solicit opinions from hundreds and hundreds of homeowners on work that they've had done. That way, you get many many opinions about any given company, not just one.

In Los Angeles, they cost about $6 a month, or about $40 per year plus a $10 sign up fee. I've definitely saved more than that, just from getting reliable recommendations for contractors.

I'm wondering how to give an estimate of mowing & Trimming a lawn like an average size 1 acre. and what about a job planting 10 small pine trees in a row, with mulch. How would one measure pricing different sized lawns to cut & Trim with a regular cut push mower.? Please help…

If you are starting a business, you need to strike a balance between making money and keeping your prices low. If you overprice your jobs, you will not get much work. If you are cheap, you will get plenty of work. If you do good work, you can charge a little more as you build up a customer base. Most people charge too much and do poor work.

I'm putting in a concrete deck around my pool, about 1200 square feet (including the pool of 500 sq. feet), and I'm not finding many books on making forms, installing drains, spacers to be used between the slab and the house, expansion joints, etc. I'm not sure if Ortho or Sunset makes one that goes beyond the basics or not. Anybody know of any books or websites that cover this topic?? It seems that most cover small jobs like a pathway or small area. Contractors charge a lot of money, and although I know I will need help floating it out, I know enuf about carpentry and landscaping to do the forms and downspout drains as well as surface drains. Not sure if there are any books or info specifically on pool decks??? Any help is most-appreciated!!!! Thank you!!!! Am I underestimating the difficulty of this job, and should I be looking for a good concrete contractor??? Seems they all want like 12-18 bucks a square foot and I know that material costs are only about $3 per foot.

Im going to give you a crash couse in laying concrete, what you are doing shouldnt be that bad, as long as you have to do it right. You may have to email me to get clarification on some things.

I have a couple questions for you before we get started.

What kind of soil do you have around the pool now? example sand, black soil, gravel?

How much higher is the pool than the surrounding grade?

Will the concrete extend from pool to home foundation?

Do you live in an area that has extended freezing weather?

send the answers back to jerry@jerrymleko.com\

if possible draw, scan and send a sketch with measurement and surrounding areas out 10 ft on all sides.