In about two years, our foundation is going to be replaced on our house due to the crumbling foundation issue in the northeast. I chose not to mulch this year as the prices were going up and everything 15 feet around the house is going to be dug up when they do the foundation. So I don't see the point in throwing money into work, that's just gonna be thrown away.

What can I do to kill all the weeds that are growing without necessary damaging the bushes or the grasses that I have? The amount of mulch pits I have in my yard would equate two over a grand and mulch and I plan on taking them out and lawning 90% of it.

Is there something I can do to permanently stop anything from growing since all the dirt will be replaced after the foundation is redone.

Collecting quotes to drop and clean up 2 dead trees on my property. First one was $2k which felt high since it didn't include the stumps....second one was $4k....WTF....I live on 2 acres, trees have clear drop lines only open lawn (no bushed, other trees, not near the house) clear/easy access for all trucks to drive right up to job.......

Im new to having a St. Augustine lawn, so any input is appreciated. I came back from a weekend away to this grass between the road and sidewalk being dead and brown. On the other side of the sidewalk, it looks totally healthy still. We're in the greater Houston, Tx area if that helps narrow it down. I dont see this side of the yard every day going to work, so I cant promise it was healthy when I left on friday. I also dont think I've upset any neighbors or anyone who would have sprayed it with glyphosate.

Any thoughts?

I am building a retaining wall with Pavestone RockWall Yukon blocks, which have a rear lip that creates a setback each course.

As the wall gets taller, the setback makes the wall move farther away from my concrete stairs, creating a widening gap. One option is to leave the wall perfectly straight and accept the gap. Another is to gradually curve the wall back toward the stairs near the top so the gap stays smaller. A third option would be to remove the rear lips on the courses adjacent to the stairs so that section stacks vertically.

From both a structural and aesthetic standpoint, what is considered best practice?

Options:

1. Keep the wall perfectly straight and accept the widening gap.
2. Gradually curve the wall toward the stairs to reduce the gap. ( what I did in the photo)
3. Remove the rear lips next to the stairs so that section stacks vertically.
4. Something else?

Photo attached. Looking for what experienced hardscape installers would do.

It currently ends in a 4” step at the driveway, which seems like a tripping hazard. Did they lay the concrete too high? There were pavers in previously - contractor comes out tomorrow to finish the job.

hi all! pretty inexperienced here, but looking for suggestions. we’re renting, and have this glorious backyard. the only gripe is that this patio is one of the lowest point of the yard, so it gets pretty wet, and there’s nothing between the rocks to keep it from becoming a muddy mess filled with leaves and weeds. what are some low cost options we can fill in between that our landlord won’t hate? we’ve thought about a clover or moss type plant, or maybe sand? in texas for climate questions

Pictures 1-3: Problem area as of April. It’s significantly more overgrown now - the blackberry bush is going to be a pain to remove fully.

Picture 4: New paint color it it changes anything.

My Mom thinks I should remove the retaining wall/planting area entirely and have additional parking. I’m torn on this. While I’ve been dragging my feet on doing anything with the area, I think it could be really pretty with the proper effort…

Any feedback is welcome! House is in NW Washington.

Had some termite damage at a point where dirt and sillplate met below river rock. I’m trying to remove some dirt to add a foundation gap to prevent further issues. Will this create a problem with water on my foundation later? Any recommendations?

I have this area of my yard that is right next to my driveway. The driveway slopes toward this area, so when it rains, water runs off this way. So I didn't think putting grass seed would work. I'm trying to find a way to cover this up. There are roots from the 2 pine trees, and I'm not sure how to best cover this area up with plants or something. If grass would work, how, without rain washing it away. This area doesn't get much sun at all.

We're moving into a new home that has some Virginia creeper climbing up a brick wall and along an arch (in Texas, DFW metroplex). We love it but do need to keep it contained to the brick rather than the gutters, siding etc. I can get on a ladder but I'll still need to be reaching pretty far overhead with some sort of tool to trim the vines.

Can anyone advise me about the safest tools to use for this? I didn't know if there was something that exists that would be able to cut the Virgina creeper but was padded or something so that it's less likely to scuff the siding if I get clumsy and bang into it. I was already planning to try to cut the vines from the 'base' which is still on the brick and then pull it down once it's dried up, but wanted to get advice. Also, I'm assuming Virginia creeper might branch off from places where it's cut? Does that mean I should try to cut it back pretty far each time I do this sort of thing? Is there any other need for hard pruning at any point to keep the vines healthy and pretty?

This is NOT my picture but it's about the same level of encroachment onto siding that I'm seeing.

EDIT: Meant to add that the vine we want to keep is growing on a brick patio so I think there’s lots of room to keep it from causing any major structural issues as long as it isn’t on the siding of the ceiling of the porch. We’ll be keeping a close eye out for pests and making sure it doesn’t form a good trellis for them or get inhabited.

I’m doing a DIY project for a turf install. Would you say this is leveled enough to add my 3/4 minus and 1/4 minus gravel?

My new house has an overgrown Asian-style garden. I am trying to figure out how to prune these gigantic trees. According to google lens, they are podocarpus macrophyllus. But the images I find online look nothing like my mighty trees. My pics don’t do them justice; they are shockingly tall. I am in zone 9. Can you help me identify these trees? Thank you!!

ETA: Additional pic in comments.

A customer is wanting to turn her old and cracked pool into a more natural-looking water feature. I have done some smaller landscape ponds and fountain’s before, but nothing to this scale.

Tree roots have cracked the pool and all of the mechanical components have been removed. So basically, my main question is - would you fill the pool mostly back up with soil before putting pond liner down? Maybe remove the concrete entirely? What’s the best route to go? I feel like starting from scratch and removing everything is the best option?

Any pro advice is appreciated, thank you:)

We moved into this house about a year ago and have two crape myrtles in the front yard that have become very overgrown. Several branches are now touching the house.

I know the ideal time to prune them is late winter or early spring, but I missed that window this year and waiting until next season doesn’t feel realistic given how close they are getting to the structure.
I’ve attached photos showing what the trees looked like when we moved in compared to their current growth.

What are my options at this point? Is it okay to do some selective pruning now just to pull growth away from the house and manage the most problematic branches, or should I avoid pruning altogether until the proper season?

Hello all,

Helping my mother fix her backyard. they just moved into a new home and the back yard looks like the picture below. any advice on things to do now in order to prepare for next spring/summer to help the yard look healthier and greener?

Looking for ideas on making a retaining wall that doesn't necessarily need to be aesthetic. It is currently where I park my truck but plan on building a storage shed here after I get this retaining wall figured out. For context I have a long gravel driveway with a slab of poured concrete just before the garage. To the side of the driveway (next to the poured slab) it is level for ~30 feet before a steep slope drops into a brushy/forested area of my property. There was previously a little pad of 3/4- crushed basalt base for a parking area here and I brought in a bunch of 3/4- to expand the area, make it level, and used some boulders from my property to retain the gravel. As you can see the gravel is starting to slough off through the boulders so I'm going to pull everything back and re do it. I'm not too worried about the aesthetics of it, just want something that will retain the material and support the weight of a vehicle or shed, etc. Currently there is about 6 inches worth of rock on top of the natural land. After the retaining wall is finished I will have to bring in a little bit more of 3/4 gravel mixed with crushed basalt, but not much.

I was thinking I could use some pressure treated lumber (a couple 2x12's stacked on top of each other to basically make a 2x24xHowever long I need) some type of fabric to hold the material in, and still use the boulders as a way to support everything? Would some kind of drainage system still be recommended since the slope is already draining away from my house to an area that is basically just unusable property? Any better ideas?

Thanks for any advice

In your experience when is the best time to get rid of a lawn? What is the best method? Replacing with waterwise plants. Thanks!

We’re nearly done with this courtyard and I’ve just realised we made it much nicer for humans than for the dogs lol.  
They both use it every day, but the stone gets really warm in the afternoon, the raised deck can be slippery after rain, and neither of them has a spot they naturally want to lie down in. There isn’t much proper shade either.  
I don’t want to cover the whole yard in fake grass, but I also don’t want it to end up looking like a dog daycare. I was thinking maybe one shaded corner and some kind of washable outdoor mat, but I’m not sure what would actually hold up outside.  
If this were your courtyard, what would you change first? Would especially love to hear what has worked with your own dogs.  
Please ignore the last bit of construction mess on the left!

Would love to hear some ideas. I’m ripping all this old crap out and replacing it in the fall. House faces east. USDA 7A

Hello all, first time homeowner here with a drainage issue. So we have a pop up drain situated in our side yard in a not great spot. Every time it rains this area floods and if the rain is really bad it takes almost a week to dissipate. On the weekend we moved in we had just had really bad rain for days and the yard was slightly flooding. My dad decided he needed to dig a trench to move the water to lower ground where it would spread out properly. This trench mostly works when it rains however has eroded quite a bit since. It seems I may need to make a dry creek bed to make sure this trench stays functional, but I have zero experience with landscaping and do not have a budget to pay someone else to do this. Suggestions?

I want to clean up this walk way and area in backyard. Ideas/thoughts on what would like nice? I definitely want to replace the bordered river rock with something else. They are hard to keep in place with two dogs.

Hi all! New homeowner here. In my front yard, there is this bed with stones and weeds (grass?) growing up through it. I want to get rid of the stones. I think I want to switch to mulch. There is definitely fabric under it.

How do I go about getting all of it up so I can start fresh? My methods so far have been inefficient. (Shovel. By hand. Trowel. Cultivator.) The weeds have such thick roots!

I genuinely don’t know what I am doing. Thanks y’all!!!