An Illusion Of Neatness
The lawn is most important for an illusion of neatness. A lawn doesn't have to be good grass, just uniformly flat and hopefully green. No fuzzy seedheads, no different heights, no big bare spots. This may mean mowing a little oftener, and also ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
Backyard Wetland
The saturation of the soil limits the types of plants you can grow to those with "wet feet." How long the soil is saturated determines which wetland plants will grow best. There are many small wetland plants that grow quickly when the soil is ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
Bearded Iris - Early Summer's Colorful Show
Most bearded iris have one bloom period, lasting about a month, but some newer introductions have the capacity to bloom a second (or third) time. Reblooming iris are extra-vigorous growers. They bloom in spring, earlier than normal, then again in ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
Beware Of Birdseed!
They are slow and easy to swat, but it's the ones you don't see who do the damage. I put bags of bread crumbs as bait near the birdseed corner for them to lay their eggs in, changing them every 2 weeks since their life cycle is about 30 days. I ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
Beware Of Invasive Vines
You Can Avoid this by choosing ground covers that do not vine and climb. One of the best is Myrtle. With shiny, delicate evergreen leaves and blue spring flowers, in the shade it remains an elegant plant that can cover large areas. Evergreen ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
Bringing Outside Plants Indoors For The Winter
As the glorious palette of fall unfolds and fades in the northern parts of the country, can Jack Frost be far behind? And those beautiful tender summer flowers in pots which are still in their glory, can they be saved for another day? Well, some ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
Bulb Profile: Daffodils
All of these names refer to this lovely yellow spring flower, but here are some distinctions. Narcissus is the botanical name of the entire genus, and is often used to refer to white-flowered types or those that grow in clusters. Daffodil ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
Bulb Profile: Tulips
The history of tulips is as colorful as the flowers. In the 1600s, tulips were pleasures only the very wealthy could enjoy. Rare and beautiful, they were status symbols of European aristocrats. Then, a buying mania exploded. By 1624, the craze ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
Bulbs For Early Spring
Following is a selection of early-blooming bulbs. Since many of these are small in stature, they look best planted in relatively large numbers. Don't be intimidated by the thought of planting 100 or more bulbs; the tiny bulbs take just seconds to ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
Build Your Own Window Boxes
You can use a bed molding or a chair rail to make your window box more decorative. Before you sand and prime, glue the molding onto the box where you want it and use small finishing nails to firmly hold it in place. Then continue with the sanding ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
Christmas Table Centerpiece
The basic material is a block of oasis and an oasis holder, available at most any nursery or florist. (Oasis it the green, water absorbent rigid foam used for flower arrangements.) Shave the corners off the top of the block to taper it into a ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
Building A Dry Stone Retaining Wall
Depending on the size and weight of the stones used to construct the wall, the tools and materials for the project will vary. Landscape fabric and a crushed stone or gravel are commonly used to create a base that allows moisture to drain. Proper ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
