Lawn and Garden

Garden decor is one of those areas where beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The fiercely trimmed lawns and clipped hedges of the 1950s have given way to a new interpretation of the garden as an area for self-expression.

By Sara Elliott

No one wants to see their beautiful lawn wither up in a drought. But how do you keep grass green without breaking watering bans? Is the trick in how the grass is planted, or in how it's maintained?

By Maria Trimarchi

Creating a backyard wildlife habitat is a rewarding project for nature lovers. However, they might be surprised to find that making a home for neighborhood critters is as easy as it is worthwhile.

By Jessika Toothman

You may think of a land full of leafy green elephants when you hear the word "topiary," but you can train and shape plants in own back yard -- or even on your office desk.

By Tonyia Cone

Most people wouldn't mind having a few butterflies floating through their garden, but the delicate insects are notoriously hard to attract. How do you build a garden that nourishes butterflies through all four life stages?

By Maria Trimarchi

Aeroponics is a deceptively simple growing method that uses very little water and no soil. As counterintuitive as that may seem, aeroponics has yielded more crops in less space and in less time than traditional methods.

By Josh Clark

Poison ivy is the dreaded scourge of many a summer camper, hiker and even Batman. Once it makes contact with sensitive skin, a telltale blistery rash can wreak havoc on the body. So how do you get rid of this backyard bully?

By Cristen Conger

These days, we're all trying to do our part to conserve water. But even if you've cut your shower time down from 15 minutes to five, you could still be committing a water sin in your garden. How can you keep your petunias perky with less water?

By Cristen Conger

It seems sort of redundant -- green landscaping. But, believe it or not, your yard and the way you keep it can hurt the environment. What can you do to green it up?

By Charles W. Bryant

Some home and garden experts recommend spending between 5 and 15 percent of your home's value to landscape your yard. Well, we've got 10 tips to keep your landscaping budget in check -- and to ensure a lush, lively lawn.

By Cristen Conger

Trees are an important part of the Earth's ecosystem, and they do a lot for people. So what kind of people take care of trees? Arborists are a tree's best friend.

By John Fuller

It looks violent and involves spiky tools that seem straight out of the Mad Max movies, but lawns love aeration. Do you know how to let your little patch of green breathe?

By Robert Lamb

There's a fable that compares the strength of an oak to the flexibility of a willow. The willow weathers the storm because it bends with the wind. But if you live in a storm-prone area, what type of tree should you plant in your yard?

By Cristen Conger

Imagine you're in a garden with a verdant ground that is punctuated by flowers and two pebble paths. When delicate flowers intersect with inanimate, structural objects, there are hardscaping design principles at work

By Jane McGrath

Substituting turf grass for ornamental grasses gives you more options than tidy green: Zebra grass stems have gold striped, blooming pink Muhly grasses look like giant puffs of cotton candy and Indian grasses sport proud cream plumes.

By Cristen Conger

You wouldn't plant a banana tree in Wisconsin, would you? Or if you did, you'd expect to give it a lot of tender love and care -- it's far too exotic to thrive on its own. Sometimes, it just makes sense to work with what the natural landscape offers.

By Cristen Conger

How much water does a rock need to grow? That's a trick question. If your thumb isn't exactly green but you love the idea of having a manicured outdoor space, a rock garden might fit the bill.

By Jane McGrath

Irrigation lines can bring your farm or garden alive, but you may have to troubleshoot a few problems along the way. What do you do if compacted soil, coyotes or cold weather messes up your system?

By Robert Lamb

The green movement is becoming more and more popular, gaining momentum daily. And there are many popular systems and programs that can help restore some of Earth's depleted resources. Agroforestry is one practice that does just that.

By Vivien Bullen

If you're trying to improve your property, you may cringe at the thought of anything as complicated as a landscape analysis. Can't you just plant some flowers and be done with it? Why start with a landscape analysis? Find out.

By Vivien Bullen

That old stretch of farmland just outside of town hasn't been tended to in decades. It's overgrown and ugly. Townspeople have been talking about what to do, but there's no obvious answer. The town may want to hire a rural landscape designer.

By Simon Shadow

We've all seen an overgrown, ugly, garbage-filled, vacant city lot at some point in our lives. These hulking eyesores can make the loveliest of neighborhoods look unkempt and even unsafe. But it's nothing a little urban landscape design can't fix.

By Vivien Bullen

Are you tired of lugging multiple hoses around your yard to keep grass, flowers and shrubs green? Irrigation systems can save time and water but professional installations can be costly. Fortunately, it is possible to do the installation yourself.

By Chris Marlowe

If after a heavy rain, your yard holds enough water for Noah to float his ark, maybe it's time for some landscaping. Paying attention to your yard's soil type, as well as the plants and erosion within it, is important when planning a landscape.

By Olivia Page

So you've got some ideas for your backyard. You want to build a new patio, plant some native shrubs or maybe install a new sprinkler system. You can see it in your head, but what will it really look like? Landscape software can show you.

By Andrew Aguecheek