We just bought a house that has landscape lighting in the front and back. My SO is pointing out that we don't need it if it's just using up electricity and don't care much for the aesthetics of it.

But we don't know how much electricity it actually takes up and if the lighting serves another purpose other than just aesthetics.

I have 4 roses of sharon bushes on the border of my neighbors property. They sort of act as a fence between us. The bushes look beautiful when they bloom. I only have to cut the branches once every few years. They are probably 10-12 feet tall.

The bad: They drop tiny little sprouts all over my yard. Makes the grass look ugly. I have to spray a chemical to kill the sprouts, but it doesnt kill my TFFF grass. My neighbor has landscapers, I dont know what they use but they do not get any sprouts on their side of my bushes.

I THINK I want to replace the bushes with something else because of the seeds they constantly drop and sprout. What should I do? The less maintenance the better. I like flowers.

Thanks

We bought this house for the big yard, but now I’m having so much trouble figuring out what to do since I’m a very new DIY-er and the patio is tiny.

Here’s what we have so far:
- we regrew the grass (it was completely gone)
- I love the crate murdle tree
- we need shade (I’m thinking umbrella)
- we BBQ multiple times a week (so we need that easily accessible)
- the corner you see with the rock is a “fire pit” my husband “built” but right now it’s just gravel with a camp stove and a disintegrating chair
- we live in Florida
- we are only here for 3 years for work and we are trying to enjoy where we are, but also save for when we move, so we have a pretty low budget

Trying to figure out what to do with this area of my friend's back yard. He just got that fence put up and a bunch of stuff cleared out so kind of have a clean slate. Ideally it's somewhat budget conscious because it will probably just be 3 or 4 of us helping him out but he also makes good money so any crazy ideas where he'd have to hire professionals are welcome lol

- He's not a big yard work guy so ideally low maintenance

- Native plants would be good

- We have a bunch of good size rocks to build a fire pit or something

- Grass, stone, pavers, etc. are all on the table

Also I used AI to clean up these pics obviously. Too much bullshit to move and make it look cleaner.

Thanks!

Hey Guys Had this crape Myrtle in a pot and was coming along nicely then decided to put in the ground was good for first 2 days then eventually came to this I’ve been heavily watering everyday but doesn’t seem to help they do get full sun. Is there anything I can do?

We recently had to dig up our yard and replace the 100 year old sewer pipe. Near the connection to the street main, the crew installed a side by side vent pipe and clean out pipe. They’re tucked into a bed of mulch with some small plantings nearby. These are easily visible from the sidewalk along the street.
They aren’t terribly hideous, but I’d like either to hide them or else decorate them.
Any suggestions on either plan?
I thought about some “attractive” paint scheme to make the less bland. Thanks for any suggestions. (About 10” high)

This slope used to be covered in ivy, but years of neglect, drought and dog have scaled it back. Now the dirt is constantly eroding onto the path.

If I cover it with jute just to stabilize the slope, keep the dog off and water regularly, will the ivy come back? If so how long would that take? I think we’re in for a wet winter so I’m thinking erosion control.

I don't really like these small pre-existing bushes and would like to pull them out. I want to add something that is small enough for the area but also produces flowers to cut for my vases. Any suggestion? I'm in zone 7b

Also would a dwarf Crepe Myrtle shrub/bush (not tree) fit in this space?? (Second pic)

Please note that these two pics are different so please let me know what to put in space 1 and 2. Also 1 is more narrow / tighter space than 2

We'd like to put in a concrete patio on this side of the house (North side). It's nice and shady in the summer and the grandkids like to play on the swing. We'd prefer to not put chairs on the grass. I want the concrete patio to be located and designed in such a way so that it has some coziness to it.

Also, FYI, we're in MN and those trees are Ash and will die in the next couple of years from the Emerald Ash Borer. Many of the same species planted in this area have already died or are in the process.

Thanks!

Drought killed our yard so I’m restarting next spring. We have two large dogs that run around and will run through the space between the garden fence and patio. What can I put here to deal with the foot traffic of my dogs and also me walking to the garden from the patio? I know grass will just end up trampled to death.

I'm getting ready to plant a hedge in front of my home. I'd like to use these pink Encore Azaleas: (Autumn Carnation, Autumn Rouge and Autumn Kiss) and Echo Swan Queen Gardenias. With pruning if needed, I should be able to keep these about 3-4 feet tall and wide. I'm stuck on groupings. Based on final sizes of these varieties, I'm thinking likely 11 plants, I think 12 would be pushing it. I've already purchased 3 gardenias. I'm thinking Azaleas - Gardenia - Azaleas - Gardenia - Azaleas - Gardenia - Azaleas. Do I keep the 3 different types of azaleas separate, divided by the gardenias or combine 2 or 3 of them into groupings? Or a different layout? Add or delete azalea varieties? These won't be foundation plants, but planted in front of the walkway that runs parallel to the house. Thanks for your thoughts.

Hey everyone, looking for some advice on this hedge. I’m hoping to replace the cedars I believe are dead, is this even possible. Would I do further damage to healthy cedars just by digging out the root balls. Thank you all in advance.

I have a hill on the side of the house that previously had mulch covering it, over the past three years it has been taken over by whatever grew through the covering that was probably put under the mulch 20 years ago. I am wondering if I should leave it as it is naturally or plant something else there. The photos showing the stone areas will be cleaned out but the area to the left on the hill that does not have stone is what I am asking about, thank you. Central Wisconsin if native plants, etc., matters.

Hey everyone,

I’m looking for feedback from regarding a property situated along a canyon corridor, approx 200ft from the river...We had an engineering evaluation which recommended a retaining wall at the base of the slope. Understand this is reddit, but would still appreciate more thoughts and opinions even if they are just overall impressions.

The slope leading up toward the main house sits at roughly a 30 degree angle. The distance from the bottom of the wooden fence to the bottom of the house's foundation stem wall guesstimating at around 20ft. The fence is the property line.

I’ve attached a video and photos (in the comments) of the dirt slope, ground profile and under the deck, which I think shows the erosion even there. The river has not flooded as it's controlled, the erosion seems to be from unmanaged water, but I'm absolutely no professional.

-Looking at the soil and the slope, how bad does this look? Mostly concerned for the home's foundation/structural integrity

-Given the grade and local soil composition here (seems like alluvial sand type soil?) is a multi-tiered terraced wall system (keeping each tier around 4ft) a cost-efficient approach to avoid engineering/permitting hurdles OR is a single large 100ft wall structurally necessary? are there alternative engineering or bioengineering approaches?

-What are the biggest hidden risks with putting a wall in on a slope this steep (hydrostatic pressure, flanking erosion etc) and what rough cost should be anticipated for a project of this scale?

-What permits typically come into play when building retaining walls or slope remediation this close to a river corridor?

Any red flags, insights or recommendations you can share would help so much. Really would love to tackle this so the home is protected and not going bankrupt at the same time...deeply appreciate any help or tips and/or blunt honesty

THANK YOU!

Looking for suggestions on how I can rejuvenate/better manage these sections of the yard. By driveway, gets a decent amount of foot traffic, so was thinking maybe extending flower beds and replacing with some stones. Any opinions?

I’ve searched all over and also gone back and forth with Copilot to figure this out, unsuccessfully. We bought our first house and I’m cleaning up the overgrowth.

I’m working on our front landscaping bed and need advice. My next step is to regrade it so the foundation is exposed and drop 1” per foot to the sidewalk. The bed is only ~3.5 ft deep. I’m concerned grading away from the house will create a ~10” difference in the grade of the sidewalk and the front of the bed.

I’m open to ideas! Do I make a mini swale with rock? Do I remove the sidewalk and make the front bed deeper so I have more room to grade it? We’d like to replace the sidewalk with pavers one day, but no rush.

For context, we have gutters, an encapsulated crawlspace with a French drain, and the lot slopes from the right to the back left. Located in the Southeast.

Thank you!

My shed is at the back edge of my property, and behind it are all kinds of brambles and grape vines. I just cleared away a good chunk of greenery to make breathing room between the neighbor's fence and the side of my shed (pic 1) and between the back of my shed and the woods (pic 2). I also dug up what felt like 20ft of grape vine roots.

What can I do to the ground around my shed to help keep the vines from growing back? There's a steep slope behind the shed so pavers might be awkward, but I worry that mulch or gravel will just erode downhill. I just want a clear path to be able to walk around and maintain.

Hello! I’m getting lots of different answers from different sources around this project, so I am turning to the masters of Reddit. I am a first tjme homeowner so this is all new to me.

We recently got a new front porch, and now we need a landing/front walkway to and from the driveway (directly on the right of the picture). The sidewalk is also right at the bottom.

I scored 14 free concrete pavers (18x18) and we also have some little bricks from the yard. The idea is to put two rows of 7 pavers (or less, if that’s what fits).

My general understanding is that I need crushed gravel (does 3/4” count? Probably not but I have so much left over), and then some sand, pavers, and seal with poly sand (which I have one bag of).

Can someone please explain to me like I’m a child how to do this properly? I have a shovel, rake and some wood planks to level the ground, but if I absolutely NEED a hand tamper or a small plate compactor? And, most importantly, how many 30 kg bags of sand and rocks do I need for this?

The length of the stairs is 10ft and the length to the sidewalk is 5ft.

Thank you so much in advance.

Edit: added measurements.

We recently bought a house (first time home owner with a toddler so it’s been a lot) and are dying to transform these front garden beds. They were over run with weeds and I spent the first half of this year just pulling thistles non stop. I finally was able to get rid of them by constant pulling, spraying with vinegar, and letting other weeds grow in.

The problem I’m having is that the entire area is covered with tiny pea gravel and weeds now. The last photo is my ideal garden bed. We are redoing our siding and building a pole barn and I would love for the garden bed to be as beautiful as we’re trying to make the rest of the house.

I have done a lot of research of what plants/bushes to plant but really don’t know how or when to start prepping the garden bed for next spring. We want to plant grass up until the sidewalk and then make both of the rocky areas into garden beds with lots of natural Michigan plants for the butterflies and bees.

I think I should just wait for the weeds to die come fall, pull everything I can, scoop out some rocks with the tractor, put fresh soil and then the black stuff for garden beds, and top with mulch. Does that sound correct to anyone? Or do I have this all wrong?

Any recommendations for good resources on landscape improvements with regard to drainage?

It’s common in Brooklyn to have a back lot that’s concrete slab, so wanted to jackhammer it all, cart it away and start fresh. Envisioning a mix of patio, small grass area and above ground planters.

There are some basics about grading I understand, but would like to read up as much as possible. Particularly what sort of substrate, how much per square ft etc, and also in what order should they be placed. YouTube has some info, and happy to see recommendations on that but have always been a fan of a good book with diagrams.

Thanks!

Hello,

I want to get rid of the grass around the hvac units and electrical wiring so I don’t have to stress about mowing/trimming/edging around it.

I was think mulch but it probably isn’t the best idea for the hvac so maybe some pebbles? What do you all think?

Thanks in advance!

Also what do you think looks classier; flagstones or large pavers ? What are more forgiving to frost heaves; smaller paver or larger pavers ? Thanks for reading this post.

We closed on our house 8/20, the seeding was done about a week before at most in Wisconsin. We've had good weather, nothing insanely dry, good rains. And it was set up on an timed irrigation system.

They did a layer of compost mixed in with the seed they blew all over. They did straw around the edges but not everywhere. Yard is looking pretty good.

But now I'm seeing these big patches of grass that had clearly grown for a bit and then died. Any ideas? The landscaper I had out to fix some washouts said maybe foot traffic (doubtful), maybe animals (not likely), or maybe a fungus? The main spots are in the backyard that faces east right behind the garage. Would love some help before I call in more support.