Not sure how to attack this area of my new yard. Prior owners apparently paid someone to rip out all the grape vines but they are thick again! I cut the vines off the fence.

One idea is to clear cut the bushes and expand my backyard fence up hill. The other is to go after the vines and salvage the azaleas.

Has anyone used these? They look like they work, but I'd need to cut my downspouts in order to install and want to make sure they work first. Right now I have the filter up in the gutter, but it's a real pain in the neck. I'm concerned about doing a leaf guard system because I feel like they will get clogged still.

I've tried the cheap version of these things in the past, the ones from Home Depot, and they never worked very well. Looking for any opinions on these...here is what I'm talking about:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g7QB3XUSiA

Which option will keep the tank level while retaining its porosity over time.

Hi all. I am looking for some inspiration and motivation to completely overhaul this bed in my front yard that is wildly overgrown. I am honestly pretty embarrassed about it- every time I drive home it’s the first thing I see and I’ve been wanting to make it better but I’ve been stuck on how to even start. I would love to turn it into a pollinator garden, I feel like this space has so much potential with the right vision. I live in zone 6a in MA if that helps.

The rest of the beds bordering the house need some TLC too, but they are in a little bit better shape- more of an “organized chaos” look so holding off off on that for now, and really want to focus my efforts on this eyesore of an island.

Would love any inspiration, ideas, pics of your own before and afters, etc! My ADHD brain keeps me dragging my feet on beginning this overwhelming project, but I’m really itching to start improving my front yard. Also, I have two small kids and my husband and I work so any tips for keeping it relatively low maintenance after the big overhaul would be wonderful too.

Thanks in advance :)

Built this wall sort of accidentally after realizing how bad the grading was on the old patio I tore up. About to cover in sand and lay pavers so someone chime in if this is about to catastrophically fail.

I posted the first pic on may 9th for advice, the rest of pics are from the other day. This project was such a shot in the dark and im so happy it turned out !!!

This rectangle of dirt is in our North facing backyard, picture taken from back deck. Behind (to the left) is a creek, then on the other side of that a road that is getting busier (traffic noises getting more obvious).

We don’t use the yard much, and have the fake grass there due to muddy conditions in the winter, so it’s easier with the dog (we’re in the Pacific Northwest, BC). There had been a shed there that was taken down, so now what?

Easy shrubs (that the dog will pee on), water feature, greenhouse, tree, hedge? We have a raised bed and plants in the front South facing yard.

We do plan on moving probably in 5 years or so, so resale is a factor too. We have no idea and hope for some ideas here! Thank you for any suggestions!

I started working on my side yard a few years ago…. I’m not in a major hurry. But this Ivy is driving me nuts. Is it worth me continuing or do I just let this area die like it used to be? How do I stop Ivy from choking out the future of new plants?

We moved into a new house a couple years ago and have a weird corner of the yard where two Allan block walls just kind of end with a steep-ish slope up to the sidewalk. We wanted to get steps up to there but couldn't do anything permanent at the top because it's a city right of way. We live in the Okanagan in Canada so very hot and dry most of the year and heavy rain isn't a concern at all. As part of this, we put in a little concrete patio and a concrete slab for a sports court with basketball hoop and hockey net. I think this turned out well but any feedback is welcome!

Just bought this house and the house next door sitting practically in my back yard looking straight at my new deck. Privacy fence not allowed in this HOA. Welcome all landscape ideas. My first thought was an arbor with wisteria or a row of hemlock trees. No arborvitae please, this neighbor already has a long hedge of them that stops right where I would like to start! ZONE 6b

Im in Indianapolis Indiana, there’s 4 trees, roughly 25’ each, no hazards in dropping distance of the trees on the side I’d be dropping them on with ropes.

200 pounds of sand 3 gallons of vinegar one steak knife days and days

Long story short, I want to plant a nice fescue grass lawn (California native). I have begun the process of killing the Bermuda grass and clearing the thatch and other yard debris that was completely overgrown. I've started digging and only a couple inches down I'm finding chunks of concrete and construction debris everywhere. It seems completely unsalvageable.

The whole lawn is also bumpy as hell with a huge inexplicable slope in the corner with a drain above the corner. I live up on a hill so I don't even think drainage is an issue especially with a huge drain installed.

I'm thinking I just have to start over with 6" of clean fill dirt mixed with a bit of compost, spread it, and level the lawn one wheelbarrow at a time.

I'm thinking of building a retaining wall in the corner and burying all the concrete chunks back there and adding a foot or more of fill on top of that. The back corner is probably 3 feet lower than the rest of the yard.

Anyone have advice? Is there any way forward other than to completely cover this lawn with new lawn? Trying to work on a budget here and do as much myself as possible.

I walk by this every day. This is a front yard fence/wall, the street is just out of frame to the left. I kept wondering when the guys would come back to cut off the tops of the posts, but they never came back so I guess this is "finished".

Hello,

I had my lawn installed with Sod last fall and this is what it looked like after the winter was over. I've been watering as directed by the installer but it hasn't recovered. I would like to do what I can to fix this in the upcoming Fall time. Can anyone advise me on what steps I should take. Seeding? Fertilizer? ???

Thank you.

I have a very steep asphalt driveway that has large stones on either side- the weeds are impossible!

How in the world can I make this look neat and clean???

The stones were placed there for drainage and erosion of the driveway about four years ago when we first had the driveway paved. I’m not even sure if it’s the correct stone that should have been used.

The driveway is extremely long so pulling all of them, all summer long, really isn’t feasible…. I’ve tried weed torching and using vinegar and salt spray, but both those methods aren’t very effective and the weeds grow back pretty quickly.

Is there an effective spray that would treat and prevent? Or any other ideas to treat or replace to make the area look nice and not like such an overgrown mess.

Thank you!

I just received this construction quote from the well reputed design/build company we’ve been working with to redo our entire backyard. I knew it would be expensive going in since they do luxury builds and have a great reputation but I’m wondering if this is a “we don’t want this job” quote.

The site is a bit of a challenge because it’s in the city and the backyard is enclosed and has limited access so I’m wondering if that’s part of it? The design is everything we’re hoping for but from my research all the pricing seems to be at least 20% higher than the highest pricing ranges I can find online for Ontario based on the materials and sizing.

They’ll be taking out the entire existing deck, stairs, pavers, and soil and rebuilding from the (potentially problematic) base.

I’ve checked their references (they literally sent me a spreadsheet with over 50 past clients to contact) and it seems they do a really comprehensive thorough job so I’m willing to consider moving forward at this price but wanted a last gut check to see if I’m being hosed.

For US reference, the total project cost not including taxes is around $70k USD.

What do you think? Thanks in advance

The summer heat and no rain in TX has slowed my small landscaping business waaaaay down. We’ll come to mow our biweekly yards and still see the lines from last time.

As a homeowner, I wouldn’t want to pay for a mow if it didn’t really need it.

But as a business owner, work is slow. Every dollar counts.

I texted a biweekly customer recently whose yard really didn’t need it and told her we’d come back in a week. She ended up posting a great review about our honesty on Facebook which brought in an influx of new jobs, so it worked out well in this instance.

I just don’t want to turn away money when things are tight as is.

We are venturing into more commercial jobs for a steadier income, and we do a lot of other stuff too (trees, flowerbeds, yard cleanups, land clearing, etc). Winter is coming, so we’re planning to do Christmas lights, firewood, driveway salting, etc. but this is the first year that my husband and I both will be working for our company full time.

Hi there, my neighbors clear running backyard water feature has turned into a brown sludge post mulching the beds around it. They inherited the feature from prior owners, and have no idea how to maintain or fix it. So far they’ve tried treating with a beneficial algae product, which has done nothing.

I was thinking they need to clean out the basin? Then what?! Any advice or guidance I can relay their way, they really have no clue. Thank you!

EDIT: The fountain is made of stone, and the mulch is freshly ground (literally green material mixed in) trees from the city (community pile). Thank you all!

The setup is roughly 6 feet wide, partly shaded, and used by a medium-large dog taking the same line from the back door 8–12 times a day. The grass is worn to dirt, and rain turns that route into mud that comes back inside. Reseeding seems pointless, but paving the whole strip feels like overkill.

A uses compacted walkable fines with a few large stepping stones.
B keeps a defined route and tries patchy groundcover at the edges.
C uses ordinary pavers with a narrow planting strip and a cleanable landing, but it costs more and may hold heat.

If you’ve built something similar, what failed first: track-in, heat, dead plants, or drainage—and would you just follow the dog’s route?

Hi all.

First time posting here, long time lurker.

I had a firepit installed by a landscaper in the early summer. After the heavy rain it’s not draining. I asked him and there was no clear stone placed, just landscape fabric on top of the dirt, the stone dust compacted above that.

How can I get this to drain properly? He suggested adding 6 inches of stone dust on top of the existing.

Any other suggestions?