Category: Landscaping

Explore 9 ways to keep mulch in place, such as creating a mulch trench or installing proper edging, to ensure your mulch won’t go to waste.

Discoloration, thinning out, diseases, and excessive weeds are important signs that you need to replace your mulch.

Discover 13 drought-tolerant perennials that thrive with minimal water. From lavender to stonecrop and switchgrass, low-water gardens are a decision away.

Drought-tolerant shrubs, like juniper, jojoba, or ninebark, can reduce water use by 60%-70%. The secret? Select species already adapted to your local climate.

Sunflowers, periwinkles, and black-eyed Susans — these are just a few of the 15 best summer flowers for your yard.

Choosing fire-resistant landscaping plants is key in wildfire-prone areas. Learn the best trees, shrubs, ground covers, and flowers for a wildfire-ready yard.

If you live in a wildfire-prone area, you can create fire-resistant landscaping by creating defensible zones that spread outward from your house.

Choose the best types of ornamental grasses for your landscape based on your yard’s conditions:
• Northern seas oats and Japanese forest grass for shade
• Blue oat grass and Mexican feather grass for sunny, dry spots
• Switchgrass for privacy screens
Cool-season varieties emerge early in the spring, warm-season grasses have dramatic colors, while evergreen types like black mondo grass provide year-round structure.

To cut back ornamental grasses, tie the bundle of grass with twine or rope; then use a hedge trimmer to cut the stems. Trim leftover jagged stalks with pruning shears to give the clump a neat shape. Dispose of the debris in the waste bin or add to your compost.

Here’s how to care for ornamental grasses to keep them gorgeous with minimum effort:
• Cut back and divide the grasses in the spring.
• Water and control weeds and pests during summer.
• Leave the plants alone in fall and winter unless you need to winterize them.
Read all about ornamental grass care exceptions, problems, and solutions in our guide.