Are you landscaping around the ugly parts?

It’s not uncommon to have something in the yard you want to hide. Utility boxes, telephone poles, fire hydrants, maybe a power box. Unfortunately, these are often in the middle of the yard, creating an unsightly feature in a place where you are trying to relax and enjoy nature.

For a lot of people, the prevailing wisdom might be to plant a group of bushes around these utilities to hide them. Some use a clump of flowering drift roses or maybe some low Ligustrum, I even see some grasses with a boulder and river rock placed around unwanted yard elements.

I usually discourage from this practice. Even if the plants add beauty to the yard, placing them right next to the object you are trying to hide often draws even more attention to it. Sure, there might be a beautiful bed of white roses...but you'll also notice the power box behind the bush as you enjoy your flowering plant. Even worse, in the winter, flowers and bushes are often bare, which creates layers of objects that you'd rather draw attention away from instead of highlighting them!

So the question reminds: how can you hide ugly parts of your yard or installations that you wish you could move? My vote might surprise you: just leave them alone! Instead, spend time and effort creating an amazing landscape at the front of the house. A welcoming entrance and landscaping can pull attention to your home, which in turn draws the eyes away from those yard elements that you wish would just disappear.

Here are a few examples of some homeowners who did just that using outdoor lighting, beautiful landscaping, stunning patio designs, and more!

Recently, Micah got to appear on the Hampton Roads show to talk about all the various options for outdoor lighting. He covers everything from the type of lights we use (low-voltage lighting that takes no more power than a cell phone!) to the surprisingly small number of lights we typically use and how these lights compliment water features that we install.

Watch this short video and let us know what surprised you about the segment!

Welcome to southeastern Virginia, specifically the Tidewater region! We love our sandy soil near the coast, but a little further inland, the easy digging can come to an abrupt end when you hit clay or a clay blend. Planting in the clay soil that Hampton Roads has to offer is difficult, and establishing plants is even harder. I hear many friends say they have a black thumb and then give up. In reality, they are just dealt a poor hand.

Spring is in the air!  It's time to plant grass! 

Actually, it's not. 
[Did you hear the sound of that record scratching?!]

To clarify- you can definitely plant grass in the spring, but you may not get the long term results you're hoping for. The best time to plant cool season grasses (fescue) in the fall. The cooler temperatures we have during the fall months allow the grass to germinate, establish, and build strong roots through the winter. 

When grass seed is planted in the spring, however, your new lawn can’t catch a break before the summer heat kicks in. The grass seed will look great and fill in well, but because the roots aren't fully established, the heat will stress the new fescue plants. The density of the grass will then fall off during the summer, and patchy areas can form, requiring more seed.

Growing a lawn takes time, so don't give up when you don't see immediate results. If you're starting from scratch, be ready for it to take 18-24 months to fully establish. If you already have some existing healthy turf, expect about a year to get it built up. Here are some ways to ensure that when springtime comes, your yard is looking its best.

​Are you struggling with what to plant in your pond, pondless waterfall, or fountain? The right plants can take an ordinary water feature and make it simply extraordinary. They can take a basic water feature and turn it into an oasis!

The best part? The benefits of adding plants go beyond simple aesthetics. The right plants can keep your water crystal clear by absorbing excess nutrients in the water.

How is a koi pond actually installed in a yard? Here's a timelapse covering a half-day installation of an aquascape feature, including excavation, adding the liner and skimmer, and more. If you want the ultimate YouTube pond installation idea, look no farther!

Corrugated pipe vs. PVC pipe: which one is better for drainage?

Pros of corrugated pipe:
It is cheap, very flexible, comes in large rolls, and requires no adapters to install.
Cons of corrugated pipe:
Ridges on the inside allows debris to easily clog the pipe.

Pros of PVC pipe:
It is smooth and does not easily clog.
It is typically the better choice between corrugated pipe and PVC pipe.
Cons of PVC pipe:
It requires adapters to get around bends, it only comes in 10-foot segments, and it is more expensive.

So which one should you choose? Watch the video below for our conclusion, and tips on installing corrugated pipe and PVC pipe for drainage!