Landscaping Your Outdoor World

The owner of a new inground swimming pool being built in his backyard has a challenge: what to plant in the new built-in planter sandwiched between the pool and a fence. There are many considerations: style, plant hardiness, microclimates, chemicals in pool water, etc.

The plants you choose to surround your pool should be carefully considered before any buying or digging takes place. Once your pool is in place, you may find that it creates a sort of microclimate. A heated pool can raise humidity levels, and intense sunlight can fry nearby landscaping. Plants can get splashed with chlorine and other pool and...

A winner for Best Outdoor Lighting has been chosen in the 2012 About.com Readers' Choice Awards. Appropriately, Best Outdoor Lighting honors the year's top outdoor lighting brands and manufacturers. Solar and LED lighting is a way for consumers to save energy and be more environmentally minded, and each of the finalists offer products that are...

For nearly nonstop performance, strength and visual impact, few plants compare to ornamental grasses. Don't confuse ornamental grasses with the types of grass used for lawns, though. Ornamental grasses are meant to grow - not be cut or mown - and most aren't used as a groundcover. Once you start landscaping with ornamental grasses you'll be...

Ornamental grasses are fairly new on the landscape scene. But there's not really a standard way to prune or groom them. And not every landscaper knows how to take care of everything in the garden, including these grasses that can grow quite big. Follow these steps to groom your grasses and get them in shape. In some regions, that means your...

Walls add permanence and establish boundaries within a yard Plants that adapt best to walls are those that are climbers or that spill or trail over the walls. Other types of wall gardens are living walls in which plants are fitted in crevices or planted in containers that allow them to grow vertically and cover all or part of the wall.

Ready to see succulents like never before? If you live in an arid climate, chances are good that you can use your swimming pool, spa, patio or deck nearly year 'round. Along with the advantages of enjoying your outdoor space all year comes the challenge of selecting the right plants. Succulents have gained in popularity over the past decade -...

While there is no hard and fast rule for container gardens, the popular concept of thrillers, fillers and spillers has made it easier to approach the design task of which plants to put in a pot.

Water-smart landscaping can be attractive with well-chosen plants mixed with hardscaping, garden structures and garden art. And like the conservation-minded gardens that focus on using less water, natural fertilizers or organic pest control, some of the best garden art comes from ordinary objects that have been recycled, reused, or repurposed....

Water conservation, water-saving, xeriscape, water-wise, drought-tolerant, drought-resistant, native landscaping. Call it what you like, it still has the same goal: to use less water, save and conserve one of the earth's most vital resources. From California to Georgia and Australia to South Africa, regions throughout the world are affected by drought at one time or another.

What does drought tolerant mean in relation to landscaping and the environment? Let's break it down. The word drought means: "a period of dryness especially when prolonged; specifically: one that causes extensive damage to crops or prevents their successful growth." The word tolerant means, in the broader sense: "capacity to endure pain or...

Pathways in a water-wise garden use traditional hardscape materials - like pavers, concrete, bricks, pebbles and pea gravel. How they differ from non-water-wise landscape design lies with what's growing - or not growing - between and surrounding the pathway materials.

Those hubs of activity in your outdoor living areas -- like swimming pools, spas, patios, decks, porches, and outdoor dining areas -- are ideal places to add some scents to your garden. Forget the candles and citronella, we're talking about fragrant plants that remind you and your guests why it's so enjoyable to be outdoors instead of indoors.

What's with those grow boxes, like the Earthbox and the Garden Patch? You've seen them in ads or at the store, but you may be a bit wary of their crop-growing claims and their prices, which are usually higher than a standard plastic window box. Follow along as we reveal what's inside these grow boxes and the steps involved in assembling and...

Privacy at home means more to us than ever before. In trying times, home is a refuge, and privacy provides a chance to relax. Seclusion via a privacy fence or screen gives us a safe retreat from the world outside our boundaries. But those privacy screens -- in the form of wooden fences, concrete-block walls and wire fences -- are often not the...

One of the most important steps in choosing plants is making sure it's suited to your climate. Vanessa Richens, About.com's Guide to Trees and Shrubs, helps you find your USDA zone using a map for each state. You can then choose plants that are suggested for that USDA zone.

Chris Baylor, About.com Guide to Woodworking, shows you how to make an easy and attractive outside planter box for veggies, flowers, herbs or whatever else you want to plant in your patio garden.

"A good tool helps you in so many ways," says Chris Adams, About.com Guide to Ergonomics. Find out how a good ergonomic tool can help you reap twice the benefit and get some synergy to boot.

Somehow amid all of Charlie Sheen's interviews, ramblings, rants, firings and profound catch phrases, the celebrity managed to buy a house. A big, Beverly Hills mansion with 7 bedrooms and 8.5 baths -- should he decide to ever take one -- all for $7.5 million. The Mulholland Estates home is just doors away from Sheen's own house -- dubbed Sober...

Bringing your plants closer to you and your house makes it possible for you to spend time gardening and enjoying the nearby view. A patio or terrace provides the perfect place to satisfy your gardening fix while not taking lots of time or money.

Vanessa Richens, About.com's Guide to Trees and Shrubs, has compiled a gallery of typical tree shapes. One thing to remember - trees may have different shapes based on natural tendencies or the environment. For example, gingko biloba can have a pyramidal shape, or sometimes it becomes very irregular. Trees can also be one shape when young and change as they mature.

Much has been documented about the interior of the White House, but what about the exterior? With a residence that large, it must have an amazing yard, with lots of patios, terraces, porches, pools and private retreats the average person knows nothing about. Take an historical tour of the White House's outdoor living spaces -- the places where...

Learn which plants will perform well in the paved and hardscaped areas of your yard. About.com's Gardening Guide, Marie Ianotti, delivers the details on creeping, sprawling, spilling and spreading plants and groundcovers.

What are some of the best vines and climbing plants for vertical gardens and quick cover-ups? If you're adventurous, try some of these vines that can be trained over doorways, up trees and even spilling from flower boxes. Among the top choices: Kiwi Vine, Trumpet Vine, Climbing Hydrangea and Canary Creeper.

Dress up your patio, deck or outdoor living space with some of the assorted containers available. As for selecting the plants to fill their pots, you need to consider the plants' full-grown size relative to the container's size. Then there are things like color, balance and focal points. Follow these tips for creating a container garden that's a pleasure to take care of and enjoy.

The threat of wildfires is a reality for people who live in areas susceptible to drought and high winds. Firewise™ is a nonprofit organization devoted to helping you and your survive a wildfire. Post this checklist on your refrigerator, follow Firewise's suggestions and you and your property will be safter and less susceptible to damage from a fire.

When it comes to New Year's resolutions, be realistic. The more challenging, costly, or outrageous the goal, the less likely you are going to achieve it, setting yourself up for failure. View these resolutions as an opportunity for a fresh start -- any time of the year. Do one, two, or all -- it's up to you.

You can't do better than a healthy poinsettia plant to add visual appeal to your porch or entryway during the holidays. We've visited the world's leading poinsettia ranch, explored design ideas and researched facts, myths and legends to bring you all you need to know about poinsettias for the holidays.

Poinsettias in containers add instant color and festivity to a porch or entryway. They're quick, easy, and low maintenance if cared for properly and placed in the right temperature and environment. Here's how to make poinsettias work with your outdoor decorating style.

Polls show that poinsettias are still the Christmas season's favorite plant. Maybe it's the different colors in which it comes, its rich history and tradition or the mystery that surrounds the Mexican native. Let's find out more about this exotic beauty.

Looking at the various colors and shapes, it’s quite clear these aren’t your grandmother’s drug-store poinsettias. Shake up her world a bit with a 'Peppermint Twist' thrown into the mix, along with her favorite red and some assorted evergreens. While you’re at it, shake up the world just outside your door. Like on your porch, in a planter bed,...

Encinitas, CA, is where many of the world's top flower growers produce the most breathtaking blooms. Among them: Tamaya’s Orchids, The Flower Fields, and the Paul Ecke Ranch. From 1929-1966, the Ecke Ranch produced poinsettia mother plants. For over 40 years, the 25-acre ranch's key focus has been growing poinsettia cultivars and shipping them...