I have always been that gal who rode by, and was
envious of, that “Yard of the Month” house.
Meticulous grass, perfectly trimmed shrubbery,
beautifully flowering plants.
Over 10 years ago when we bought our retirement
home with 5 acres, I thought I would be in
Gardening Heaven.
What we soon discovered is that we were in
Gardening & Constantly Upkeeping. 😀
I am sharing 10-Ways to Creating a Pretty Lawn
that has helped us accomplish and keep an
“almost, but not quite” Yard of the Month.
Karen Aber Ploransky says
Barb, your yard is absolutely gorgeous. My new yard looks like the Annual Weed Festival! Going to mix up some of your weed treatment and go crazy!
View Commentdebbie russell says
yes you yard is beautiful. I’m slowly doing away with some of my flower beds as it has gotten ro be too much work in my older age, and what i have left I’ve been planting iwith perennias..
View Commentlaura@top this top that says
love your tips!
View Commentruby says
my fav gardening tool is a hoe made by my grandfather and my hori hori given to me by my daughter, super gardener. Thanks for all the GREAT info! I will be using a lot of it!!
View CommentKaren says
Love your tips!!! And your yard is absolutely beautiful!!!!!
View CommentKristin G says
My favorite gardening tool are scissors and a water hose. I always have scissors with me because I’m always snipping away at something. The water hose is fun especially on a hot day! 🙂
View CommentWendy says
My favorite gardening tool is a good, sharp pair of clippers. Nothing’s worse than dull tools. 🙂
View CommentEli@coachdaddy says
Great tips! I also have found it helpful to keep a garden diary to track what worked, what didn’t, and more. I can’t remember plant names to save my life. Especially one season to another!
View CommentBarb says
That is a great idea!
View CommentSally says
I love this blog! I look forward to it every time you post. Always informative and humorous! Thanks
View Commentchris aka monkey says
this was a really good post with tons of info most i didn’t know so i pinned it, my constant companion in the garden is some scissors, a jug of ice water, and a fly swatter lol xx
View CommentLynn says
Be cautious of drinking iced or very cold drinks if you are very sweaty or very hot, it’s a dangerous combination and will cause a heart attack.
View CommentAlso be ware of coming into a cold house if you’ve been sweating a lot while out in gardening, the transition can also cause problems, I always raise my ac before I go out, and I sit in the garage till I cool down and dry off a bit.
Then I wait a bit before showering till my body adjusts to the ac, then I take a medium warm shower as to not shock my body.
Ericka Cooper says
My favorite tool is my sprinkler as I live in a high mountain desert. I would love to have a tool like the Worx XTD Extendable Driver.
View CommentGloria says
Spring cleanup gets harder every year. Can’t do without a sharp pair of snips. Loved this post.
View CommentRaylene DeSanto says
My hubby bought a tool that has prongs on one end…you press it down directly over dandelions, twist the knob on top, and presto…dandelion, roots and all come out of the ground!!!! No stooping! Sorry, I don’t know the proper name of the tool but it is quite amazing!
Happy Mother’s Day!
View CommentARod says
love the look of your yard and the trimmer looks awesome
View CommentSarah says
hi! I was wondering if this product kills the grass, how long before you can put down grass seed?
View CommentCarol Morgan says
Hi! For the weed killer – the jug says Epsom salts, but above that you wrote salt – which should it be? Thanks!
View CommentBarb says
Hi Carol,
View CommentJust Epsom salts. 🙂
Jeri says
Weed Killer – I hope you haven’t answered this too many times already, but I just found your blog. Your recipe says 1 gallon vinegar, 1/4 cu salt and 1.2 cup dishwashing liquid. The jug says only 1/4 cup dishwashing liquid and 2 cups of epsom salts. Since the proportions are so different, would you please clarify the correct recipe? Weeds are sprouting up all over and I don;t want to use chemicals! Thank you!
View CommentBarb says
Hi Jeri – it is two different variations of the same recipe. I have used both. 🙂
View CommentLaVonna says
Love your blog and your yard is gorgeous! I’m a first time homeowner and inherited some pretty nice flower beds. My only problem is that the main bed is is being over-run by poison ivy/oak. Any tips or ideas to rid my beds of these nasty plants (I’m highly allergic)?
View CommentBarb says
Hi thanks for stopping by. The poison ivy seems to be really bad in our yard this year, too. I just try to stay on top of it with poison as much as I can. Nasty stuff. I am allergic too. 🙁
View CommentAmy V. says
Does anyone know what the pink and green flower mini bush type flowers are in the picture under the #6 heading? They are so pretty and I know nothing about plants!
View CommentPiper says
Does this harm my flowers? I have weeds in my garden and I want to spray them but I don’t want to harm my beautiful hostas, ferns and astible.
View CommentAisha says
Can you spray this on the lawn to kill weeds or just on walk ways?
View CommentBarb says
I use it for all weeds, but like any weedkiller be careful about getting it on anything you don’t wish to kill. 🙂
View CommentKDIXON says
HI Barb! I’m curious what those pink flowering shrubs are in your photo! They’re beautiful and attention getting!
View CommentJC says
I dont see how adding perennials or plants that repel mosquitos helps my lawn look better. i have tons of those in my flower beds but my actual lawn is brown, bumpy and weedy. your blog title is very misleading.
View CommentBarb says
I think you are focusing on the word “lawn” too much. It’s the overall look, not just the grass.
View CommentTheresa says
What are the pink bushes??
View CommentCath says
Thanks! Good Sunday morning read
View CommentLisa says
Hi.
So, you mix all those 5 ingredients into a hose sprayer and spray the lawn?
View CommentVlasti says
Interesting! … but are you sure about dish wash and mouthwash for lawn?!?!
Thanks,
View CommentVlasti
Vi says
What beautiful gardens! That’s my goal on 3/4 acre in the city. This is the best listing of easy, non-chemical tips and gardening practices in one link ever! Am thinning hostas I impatiently planted a few years ago and hoping to use your perennial tips for a more colorful and textured look. Gardening is work constantly in process, but I love it!. Thx Barb. I look forward to following your blog.
View CommentBarb says
Hi Vi – so glad you found me here at The Everyday Home. Hostas! I love, love, love them. Unfortunately, so do all of the deer that hang out here around our home. 🙂 Its the price you pay for living in the country I guess. Good luck on your garden. Come visit me again soon. Barb
View CommentEditha Hallal says
It is very interesting you did in your garden and law. And you give lots of ideas that is not harmful like you make your own fertilizer and weed control can i used this fertilizer to the garden. thank you very much for your tips.
View Comment