DIY Landscaping

Nothing ruins the look of a nice paver patio faster than a mohawk of dandelions sprouting between every joint. I’ve had neighbors walk past my front walkway, stop, and ask if I planted the weeds on purpose as some kind of cottagecore statement. I had not. I was just losing … Read more

My dog Biscuit used to eat anything green that grew within nose-shot of the back porch. Grass, clover, the occasional mystery weed poking up between the patio stones — all of it went straight into his mouth before I could yell “drop it.” That habit is exactly why I stopped … Read more

If you’ve ever pulled a bindweed vine and watched it snap off two inches below the soil, laughing at you from somewhere down in the earth, you already know why this weed has a special place on my most-hated list. Bindweed doesn’t just grow. It strangles. It wraps around your … Read more

My pothos used to sit in a plastic hanging basket on top of my fridge, doing absolutely nothing with its life. Every few months I’d trim the vines back because they were dragging in the cat’s water bowl. It felt like a waste of a genuinely great plant. Then a … Read more

Your yard has good bones but something’s missing. Maybe you’ve got a lawn that looks fine, a few shrubs doing their job, and yet the whole thing feels flat. No drama. No “wow” moment when you pull into the driveway. That’s usually a tree problem, not a lawn problem. A … Read more

Everyone tells you to plant “pops of color.” Red for drama, yellow for cheer, purple for elegance. Nobody ever mentions brown. Say the word “brown flower” at a garden club meeting and you’ll get the same look you’d get if you suggested painting your living room the color of wet … Read more

Every fall, my neighbor Denise knocks on my door holding a magazine photo of some impossibly perfect camellia bush and asks, “Can I grow this?” And every fall, I have to explain that yes, she absolutely can, but only if she picks the right variety for her yard instead of … Read more

My neighbor Carol planted a camellia the same week I planted mine. Hers bloomed like a magazine cover every winter. Mine sat there sulking for two years, dropping yellow leaves and refusing to flower, while I stood in my yard wondering what she knew that I didn’t. Turns out, camellias … Read more

You planted a weeping willow because you wanted that dreamy, curtain-of-leaves look hanging over a pond or a corner of the yard. Instead, you’ve got a sad, lopsided stick that’s dropping branches, turning yellow, or just… not growing. Sound familiar? I get it. Weeping willows have a reputation for being … Read more