Make the yard work for YOU!
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You own a house. Congratulations! Get comfortable indoors, do
the painting and picture hanging, and then come outside with
us.
First, throw out the term "yardwork."
We can help you make the yard work for all you want to do out
there without making yourself a lot of work.
Here, we'll walk you through the basics in a sequence we've
found to be simple and efficient. You click what you want help
with. We'll show you basics, including links to materials and tools
you'll need.
(Takes you straight to that list of
basics!)
Focus that pays off: One spot first, hard structures before
plants
Once you're out in your yard, pick a particular place you want
to start -- size doesn't matter but if you keep it to an area about
10 x 20 you can complete just about anything there in one
weekend....
If you can't decide between a couple of areas, consider that
it's usually most rewarding to start with what you see the most.
You'll see what you did, every day, and feel good about it.
Before you get into plants, decide on any hard structures --
patios, walkways, covered sitting areas, pools, sheds, etc. Even if
a particular item seems like a dream or is off in the future,
knowing where you might want it makes a difference in everything
else you do.
Want personal help, free? You got it!
Many hands make light work!
At any time if you want extra help, you can turn to our Forum. Post
your question and photos if you have them, of your yard or a
particular project or problem. It's free and there are quite a
number of us there who can help you with individual issues. Take
advantage of that help before you buy things for your yard or hire
it done!
Click what you want to
do:
We have many how-to articles to help you. Here* are those most
useful to someone new into a home, whether it's a brand new home or
simply new to you.
- Plan changes for the lowest
possible maintenance. (PDF outline)
- Pruning the shrubs and
trees.
First, don't worry. Just go ahead and cut what is most in the way
or overgrown. If It dies, it's not in a loss but an obstacle
removed!
Second, for lower-priority too-big's or
too-shaggy's, take a look at specific examples of cut-backs, here or enter
the name of the plant you want to cut in the Search field (upper
right on any page).
Third, plan to cut mightily next spring. Check
What's Coming Up 86 and download our all-round
pruning guide for 80+ types of shrubs.
- Watering
and mowing.
- Irrigation installation &
repair.
- Renting power tools and
equipment.
- Improving the lawn, or starting over!
- Patios and decks: Where, how big,
what kind.
- Designing a garden or
landscape
- Choosing, placing and training young trees.
-
Renovating a neglected area
- Controlling
weeds
- Eradicating/Weeding out "good" perennials that are
weedy.
- Figure how
much mulch you will need
- Figure
how much fertilizer to apply, and which kind
- Figure how much rock you will need
- Figure how much soil you will need
-
Potted plants outside
- Varmints and other problem control
- Ask a personal
question now on our Forum. Or email it to us at
info@GardenAtoZ.com. (It's faster through the Forum but we do
answer every email we receive.)
*If the topic is here
but not linked, it's about to be! We're still bringing many of our
articles onto the site from our 20-year library; a few of these
were still in queue as we wrote this so we've moved them up in the
line.
Ray Wiegand's Nursery, supporting
our growing with plants, materials, ideas:
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