Landscaping Planning
Prepare for your next landscaping project by discovering our planning ideas & tips.
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How to Firescape a Yard
Landscape contractor Jenn Nawada helps a homeowner add flare to her front yard while also promoting safety during wildfire season with thoughtful plant and design choices.
Understanding Wetlands
Landscape contractor Jenn Nawada meets with a landowner and a wetland expert to discuss identifying and building on properties with designated wetland areas.
Types of Landscaping Rocks and How to Use Them
Learning the best ways to use these popular landscaping rocks will lend both style and utility to your yard or garden. And with plenty of options for different types of spaces, most DIY gardeners and landscapers will be able to find something to turn their yard into an elegant escape. But knowing which stones to use for a project can be critical, and this guide aims to help.
5 Best Landscape Fabrics (2024 Guide)
In this review and buyer’s guide, our team compares the best landscape fabrics and provides detailed recommendations to help you find the right solution for your project.
All About Holly Bushes
Landscape contractor Jenn Nawada explains how to identify and care for holly plants and incorporate them into a landscape.
6 Budget-Friendly Landscaping Projects
When a house needs a lot of attention, the yard can get short shrift. Here are some budget-friendly ways to improve your great outdoors.
How to Create a Vertical Garden for Small Spaces
Ask This Old House landscape designer Jenn Nawada installs a vertical garden to maximize space for a homeowner
How to Create a Desert Landscape
Ask This Old House landscape designer Jenn Nawada heads to Phoenix to recreate the desert in a homeowner’s front yard
How to Create a Drainage Swale
The plant-populated channels can redirect storm water to specific locations
Small Evergreens, Big Impact
Combine dwarf conifers in pots for a fresh look—and year-round color
Ask Roger: Using Landscape Edging
Learning about landscape edging with This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook
All About Garden Fountains
Adding the pleasing sights and sounds of flowing water to your backyard can transform it into a relaxing retreat
CHECKLIST | Get Your House Ready for Spring
Put these items on your fix-it list to transition from winter to spring
All About Shade Trees
Plant one to boost property values, lower energy costs—and leave a lasting legacy
Fast Fixes for July
Timely fast fixes, including trimming evergreens, storm-safety planning, and more
How to Choose and Use Shovels and Other Digging Tools
Hole-digging advice with This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook
All About Groundcover
Whether you’re looking for the best low maintenance or fastest growing groundcover for your lawn, these plants offer solutions to barren spots and spaces.
How to Hire a Landscape Contractor
TOH landscape contractor Roger Cook details what to consider when looking for a pro to work on your yard
11 Ways to Save Water, Time, and Money on Your Landscape
If you're not irrigating your lawn, flower beds, and container plants using the most targeted, time-efficient methods possible, you're wasting water—and money
All About Landscape Lighting
From selecting the best outdoor lights to setting them up, our experts share how to brighten up the outside of your house.
Fall Landscaping Checklist
TOH landscape contractor Roger Cook's top tips for fall yard cleanup
Carts and Wheelbarrows
From trash to topsoil, everything travels more quickly when you stick a wheel underneath it
Which Grass is Best for Your Area?
Choose types adapted to your local climate and soil conditions. The newest varieties have greater resistance to drought and disease and need less maintenance
How to Start a New Lawn Like a Pro
Want a fresh lawn in your yard? We lined up the experts to help you choose the right turf and the best way get the greenest lawn in the neighborhood.
Working with a Tree Removal Pro
Dead and diseased trees are not only a hazard that could crash through your roof—they also steal water and light from the rest of your yard
No-Grass Yard Ideas
Smart ways to give yourself—and the environment—a break from big, demanding lawns.
Don't Just Jump into a Water Feature
Fountains, ponds, even faux streams are great additions. Just consider resource maintenance before you build.
Drought-Resistant Ornamental Grasses
These ornamental grasses aren't only easy on the eyes; they're easy on the water bill, too
Mulch Materials
This gardening essential not only neatens up your yard, it also helps conserve water and discourages weeds.
Made for the Shade
Plants that flourish where the sun doesn't much shine.
How to Choose and Use a Leaf Blower
It may come as a surprise to the sound-sensitive neighbors, but most people buy blowers too small for their needs
May Is for Mulching
Decorate and protect your beds now, before the heat of summer sets in