Do It Yourself - Water Hose Blog

You Protect Your Petunias and Dote On Your Daisies – But Real Garden TLC Begins Indoors.

It’s a beautiful summer weekend. The hedges need a trim, the lawn needs a mow and there’s pruning to be done. It’s time to put your gardening gear on – but first, this refresher course on “must-haves,” for serious gardeners and yard putterers alike.

Sure, Lawns Need Water. But To Keep Your Grass Green and Growing, You Need to Know When and How Much.

If you’re like most American homeowners, watering the lawn, shrubs, vegetables and flowers falls under the same umbrella: turn on the hose and spray everything, equally and simultaneously. End of story. But does a zucchini growing in dappled shade require the same amount of water as a brand new lawn in full sun? The answer, quite simply, is no.

If Plant Insects Are Driving You Buggy, Squash the Problem with Simple, Safe, Smart Solutions.

It’s the day you’ve put aside to get outside. The sky is blue, and you’re armed like a yard warrior: wide-brimmed hat, bug spray and the garden gloves you did not skimp on. The garage doors open, and there they are. The tools you’ve collected through the years. The ones your Uncle Bob gave you. A few that were here when you moved in. The general purpose for must have gardening tools is pretty obvious (or is it?), but there are gray areas when it comes to greening. So what better time than spring to brush up?

Look! It’s a new branch. A young bud. A bush nearly bursting with blossoms. Who wouldn’t want to sit back, and let the growing take place? Smart gardeners, that’s who. They know that – especially in spring – all plants need routine maintenance, otherwise known as pruning.

I’ve been a homeowner for decades, having spent untold hours nurturing, coaxing and sometimes threatening my lawn and garden. Always at my side is the garden-variety garden hose: green and ornery, but necessary. I’ve untangled hundreds of knots, circling back in frustration to unkink kinks. I’ve broken many a sweat dragging hoses across the lawn, around flowers and through shrubs. There have been casualties.

So when the folks at Apex gave me five hoses to try, I felt like I’d earned my credentials as an impartial judge. I wanted to find the perfect lightweight, no-kink, high-flow, flexible, easy-to-store winner – and I did.

If you’re a devoted gardener, you probably try to take good care of your tools and equipment. Some things are easy to forget, though. For instance, you might not put too much thought into maintaining your water hose, but when it’s left out in the cold all winter, it can experience some serious damage. While that's good news for heavy-duty garden hose makers come springtime, it's bad news for forgetful gardeners.

When It Comes to Planting Near the House, Fall in Love, But Keep Your Distance

It’s been said that the landscaping around a home adorns it like jewelry. Nothing softens the line between a flat lawn and a tall wall like gorgeous greenery. Its many shades, shapes and heights are the perfect enhancement to your curb appeal.

But it’s no coincidence that the word “plan” is most of the word “plant!” There are serious errors that can be made, and here are the Top 5:

Discover the Beauty and Benefits of Decomposing Leaves and Bark

The weeds are pulled, the soil is turned and the plants are in. Now take a few well-deserved minutes to stand back and admire your work.

Okay, long enough. Now it’s time to think about mulch, the gardener’s finishing touch. What usually comes to mind are those muscle-building bags of shredded bark from the garden center. But just to clarify, mulch is actually any type of material (usually organic) spread over soil as a covering: grass clippings, shredded leaves, compost or even newspaper.

You Made Your Bed. Now Plant in It!

It’s almost time. Open the seed catalogs, grab your garden gloves and start thinking. What’ll it be this season? An explosion of vibrant wildflowers, a garden of fresh herbs, or all the makings for fresh summer salads?

For a growing number of gardeners, the raised bed has become the solution to a spectrum of backyard challenges. Whether it’s built from stones or logs, the raised bed offers terrific advantages, like…