These solar powered landscape lights use LED technology to provide a brighter light to illuminate your walk or drive at night. Hampton Bay LED solar landscape lighting is available at The Home Depot in several styles and finishes.

Related posts:

• LED Lights from Hampton Bay
• Natural Lighting
• (697) As Seen on TV: Infomercial Home Products

If you live in an area with foraging deer, you’ve likely watched with dismay as some of your favorite plants disappeared overnight. But before you give up on gardening altogether, try making your yard less appealing to deer by choosing plants that deer find less appealing.

The Deer-Proof Garden

It’s important to remember that unless you build a very tall fence, there is no such thing as a deer-proof garden. Deer will eat anything if they are hungry enough, and they can adapt and eat plants that are considered “resistant.” However, they do have their favorites, and they’re more attracted to places where their favorite food is easily available.

The idea behind deer-resistant gardening is to fill your yard with plants they don’t prefer, in hopes the deer will simply give up and go someplace more appetizing.

Add herbs, such as lavender, to discourage deer.

In general, deer prefer:

• Plants with lush foliage and high water content, such as hostas
• Early spring plants like tulips, crocuses, and forsythia
• Fruiting and berry-producing plants, including vegetable gardens
• Native plants

Deer are less likely to be attracted to:

• Herbs and strongly flavored plants
• Heavily scented foliage
• Plants with fuzzy or hairy leaves
• Prickly plants
• Ferns
• Grasses

If you’re planting a new border or garden, start with heavily scented and deer-resistant plants on the outside perimeter. Once you’ve established an area and encouraged the deer to browse elsewhere, you can add other plants inside the perimeter.

List of Deer-Resistant Plants

Always check with local gardeners and your cooperative extension service to find out what has (and hasn’t) worked for gardeners in your area. The following is a list of plants that research has indicated are less appealing to deer:

Rosemary is an evergreen herb that works well in flower gardens, too.

Herbs and Scented Plants

Most herbs are great choices for deer-resistant gardens, such as:

• Chives, ornamental (Allium sp.)
• Garlic, ornamental (Allium sp.)
• Ginger (Asarum sp.)
• Lavender (Lavandula sp.)
• Onion, ornamental (Allium sp.)
• Mint (Mentha sp.)
• Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
• Sage, ornamental and culinary (Salvia sp.)
• Thyme (Thymus sp.)

Deer generally leave ornamental grasses alone.

Ornamental Grasses

Most ornamental grasses are deer-resistant, including:

• Fescue (Festuca sp.)
• Flame grass (Miscanthus sp.)
• Fountain Grass (Pennisetum sp.)
• Giant Reed (Arundo donax)
• Pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana)
• Purple Moor grass (Molinia caerulea)
• Sedge (Carex sp.)
• Silver grass (Miscanthus sp.)
• Zebra grass (Miscanthus sp.)

Most species of ferns are also considered deer-resistant.

Ferns

Most species of ferns, including:

• Christmas fern (Polystichum arcostichoides)
• Hayscented fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula)
• Holly fern (Cyrtomium falcatum)
• New York fern (Thelyptens noveboracensis)
• Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris)
• Osmanthus (Osmanthus sp.)
• Sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis)
• Wood fern (Dryopteris marginalis)

Annual vinca is less appealing, although annuals are often devoured.

Annuals

• Ageratum (Ageratum sp.)
• Annual Vinca (Catharanthus roseus)
• Dusty Miller (Centaurea cineraria)
• Flowering Tobacco (Nicotiana sp.)
• Poppy (Papaver sp.)
• Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus)
• Strawflower (Helichrysum)

Lamb’s ear has fuzzy leaves that discourage deer.

Perennials and Groundcovers

• Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)
• Artemisia (Artemesia sp.)
• Bleeding Heart (Dicentra sp.)
• Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans)
• Catmint (Nepeta sp.)
• Coneflower (Echinacea sp. & Rudbeckia sp.)
• Coreopsis (Coreopsis sp.)
• Daffodil (Narcissus sp.)
• Epimedium (Epimedium sp.)
• Forget-Me-Not (Myosotis sp.)
• Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)
• Germander (Teucrium chamaedrys)
• Iris (Iris sp.)
• Lamb’s Ear (Stachys byzantina)
• Lenten rose (Helleborus sp.)
• Ligularia (Ligularia sp.)
• Lungwort (Pulmonaria sp.)
• Monkshood (Aconitum sp.)
• Pachysandra (Pachysandra sp.)
• Potentilla, Cinquefoil (Potentilla sp.)
• Rock-Cress (Arabis caucasica)
• Rose Campion (Lychnis coronaria)
• Russian sage (Perovskia sp.)
• Spurge (Euphorbia sp.)
• Spotted Deadnettle (Lamium sp.)
• Tarragon (Artemesia sp.)
• Thistle (Echinops sp.)
• Yarrow (Achillea sp.)
• Yucca (Yucca sp.)

Creeping juniper is a popular groundcover shrub.

Shrubs and Trees

• Barberry (Berberis sp.)
• Birch (Betula sp.)
• Blue mist shrub (Caryopteris clandonensis)
• Boxwood (Buxus sp.)
• Butterfly bush (Buddleia sp.)
• Elderberry (Sambucus sp.)
• Holly (Ilex sp.)
• Juniper (Juniperus sp.)
• Lilac (Syringa sp.)
• Mahonia (Mahonia sp.)
• Maple (Acer sp.)
• Peashrub (Caragana sp.)
• Russian Olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia)
• Spruces (Picea sp.)
• Sumac (Rhus sp.)

Further Information

• Camouflage Gardening (Native Plant Society of Texas)
• Deer-Resistant Plants (Deer-Resistant Landscape Nursery)
• Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance (Rutgers)

Related posts:

• How To Use Deer Repellents to Prevent Damage to Your Yard or Garden
• How to Spruce Up a Summer Garden with Tropical Plants
• Plants in Your Garden that Produce Seed for Birds

The soothing sound of falling water coming from a fountain, waterfall, or other water feature can help turn your yard into a peaceful retreat. While ready made fountains are available, you can also construct your own custom built water feature for your yard.

There are a number of considerations to keep in mind when deciding on a water feature for your yard, including:

• Style: Choose a water feature that goes with the style and décor of your home.
• Size: Select a water feature that is the right size for the area it will occupy.
• Material: Consider the type and weight of the material for the water feature. Options include heavy materials like cast stone, as well as lighter ones such as cast aluminum and fiber stone.
• Wiring: Water features require electricity to power the recirculating pump. Since water and electricity can be a deadly combination, be sure to follow the instructions carefully or hire a qualified electrician to do the wiring. A solar powered pump, which use a photovoltaic panel to generate electricity, is another option.
• Maintenance: It’s important to keep a water feature clean and free of debris as well as maintaining the proper water level for it to work properly.

Related posts:

• How to Choose a Hedge for Your Yard

Attracting wild birds to your yard is easy – they have pretty specific needs and patterns, and they’re not picky about the solutions. That means that if we bird-lovers provide them with ways to meet their needs, they’ll come, it’s as simple as that.

While you don’t even NEED a yard to enjoy attracting birds to a feeder, a few simple ideas incorporated into your lawn and garden design will increase your bird populations and give you even more enjoyment.

Here are some landscaping tips that can turn your yard into a haven for wild birds.

Think variety – birds are attracted to an atmosphere of abundance.

The Basics

When adding elements to your garden for the birds, keep in mind that the three basic needs of birds aren’t all that different from our own.

1. Food

2. Water

3. Shelter

Providing for all three needs will attract bird populations that stick around, nest, raise their young, and come back next year.

Birds enjoy the seeds produced by Black-Eyed Susans.

1. Basic Need: Food

Wild birds eat a wide variety of plant and animal matter, including seeds, nuts, berries, insects, worms, and grubs. While some birds really seem to enjoy bird feeders, others prefer to get all or part of their food from natural sources. Here are some tips for providing food for birds:

• Bird Feeders: Install a variety of bird feeders, including seed, nut, suet, and nectar feeders. Check out our articles on Wild Bird Feeding Basics and How to Make a Suet Bird Feeder for more information.
• Flowers: Planting annual, perennial, and flowering shrubs and trees can provide food for birds. Look for a variety of colors, textures, and bloom times. Birds will be attracted to seeds, nectar, and the insects buzzing around your blossoms. Leave some flowers to set seeds and fruits.
• Berries: Birds love berries, so adding plants and shrubs with berries can really help. Choose varieties with different fruiting seasons for year-round bird feeding.
• Go Organic: Don’t use insecticides and herbicides on your lawn or garden. Not only can birds be harmed by ingesting the chemicals, but they’ll reduce their natural insect prey, causing birds to hunt elsewhere.

Consider a birdbath to provide clean, safe water for the birds.

2. Basic Need: Water

Birds need a source of shallow water for drinking and bathing. Some tips:

• Birdbaths: Birds will use any source of standing or lightly trickling water, but most gardeners prefer to offer a birdbath that can be kept clean and free of mosquito larvae and bacteria.
• Water Features: Small streams and fountains are also great ways to offer water for birds.
• Design: The best water sources have a graduated “beach-like” entry, a nonslick surface, and are less than 3” deep. Add smooth gravel to the bottom for perching and balancing.
• Location: Wet birds aren’t as agile, so place your water feature near some trees and shrubs as a handy place to escape predators and dry off.

Hollies provide both shelter and food for winter birds.

3. Basic Need: Shelter

Birds need places to rest, escape predators, and build their nests. A garden with plenty of shelter is sure to have lots of birds. Tips include:

• Variety: The best bird shelter includes a variety of trees and shrubs with varying textures and heights.
• Borders: Mixed shrub borders are perfect, because you can include a wide variety of plants that offer food, shelter, and nesting spots; and they’re usually far enough away from the house that the birds feel safe.
• Hedges: Birds love the deep shelter provided by hedges.
• Safety: Consider some prickly or thorny shrubs to provide added security from predators.
• Evergreens: Conifers and evergreens are great shelter choices because they stay green year-round. Many varieties also produce berries or nuts, which provide an additional food element.
• Birdhouses: Artificial shelter can be provided in the form of nesting boxes, such as bluebird houses. Choose nesting boxes specific to the birds in your garden, as many birds will not use a basic bird house.
• Nesting Materials: Don’t put out string, lint, or other nesting material that could be dangerous for some birds. Instead, include a variety of plants with different textures in your landscape so birds can choose what they want.

Birds appreciate a natural garden that isn’t overly manicured.

Landscape Design Tips

• Use Borders: Birds like landscapes that have “edges,” with groupings of sheltering plants and trees connected by open corridors. Plant larger trees and shrubs in clusters, with multilayered planting beds around the borders. Tuck flowering plants, bird feeders, and birdbaths in these sheltered borders.
• Go Native: When possible, choose native plants. Native plants attract the right insects and provide food and shelter at the right times to keep your little ecosystem balanced and full of happy birds.
• Think Variety: Plant using different heights, colors, and textures. While some birds are attracted to specific plants, in general they’re looking for a nice place to call home with plenty of food and nesting opportunities.
• Limit Pruning: Spring and summer are nesting seasons, so hold off on any heavy pruning until your birds have had a chance to raise their young safely.
• Go Wild: Allow some areas of your garden to “go natural.” Brush piles, leaf litter, and fallen trees are gold mines for insect-eating birds, and they also provide great hiding places. Don’t deadhead every blossom and leave some fallen leaves in the beds. Find a balance between over manicured and a bit wild, so you and the birds will both be happy.

Further Information

• Landscaping for Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
• Hummingbirds in the Garden
• Birdbaths (Video)
• Wild Bird Feeding Basics
• How to Make a Suet Bird Feeder
• All About Birds (Cornell Bird Identification Guide)

Related posts:

• Wild Bird Feeding Basics
• Plants in Your Garden that Produce Seed for Birds
• How to Make a Suet Bird Feeder

As the summer heats up, consider adding some tropical plants to your garden for a splash of luxury. The large, waving foliage and lush growth habits add a cool, inviting touch, and the plants themselves are naturally tolerant of the heat and humidity of summer. Gardeners in sub-tropical or non-tropical regions have to be a little more careful with these plants as temperatures cool, but any garden can enjoy the beauty of a tropical paradise.

Choosing Outdoor Tropical Plants

• Give your houseplants an outdoor vacation! Palms, philodendron, peace lilies, ferns, and other houseplants will thrive in a sheltered location outdoors for the summer.
• Tender tropical bulbs, such as elephant ear, taro, and amaryllis, are great choices for summer gardens. These plants go dormant for the winter, and the bulbs can be dug up and stored to be replanted year after year. Check out our article How to Store Tender Bulbs Over the Winter to find out how.
• Consider the tropical plants that are commonly sold as annuals in cooler climates. Caladiums, mandevilla, and tropical hibiscus can be overwintered or purchased fresh each year.

Designing with Tropical Plants Outdoors

• Create containers of tropical plants that can be easily grouped or moved around for parties or during weather changes. In the fall, you can simply bring the pots indoors, or take cuttings from them to root for next year.
• Add some hanging houseplants to your porch or covered patio.
• For a more tucked-in look, bury the tropical plant pot up to the rim in your planting bed. Add some mulch, and your landscape looks seamless! In the fall, it will be easy to pull up the pots for winter storage indoors.
• Over the winter, tropical houseplants will need to be stored at temperatures over 55° F—a sun porch or decorative indoor location is great. Dormant bulbs and roots will need cooler temperatures in the 40s—a garage, shed, or basement can provide this.
• Give a tropical touch to any garden with ordinary, hardy garden plants. Choose plants with large leaves, plants with palm or fern-like foliage, and plants with large, colorful blooms. Hardy hibiscus and perennial ferns give a tropical feel without special care.

Related posts:

• Dealing with Cold Temperatures in a Greenhouse
• When to Plant Gladiolus
• January Lawn & Garden To-Do List

Whether it’s cooking on the grill, planting a garden, or simply relaxing in a hammock under a shade tree, homeowner’s love their yards. Here are some tips and cool products to help you get the most out of the great outdoors at your home.

Outdoor Kitchen

An outdoor kitchen is perfect for entertaining in your backyard. If your grill will be used under a covered area, include a power vent hood or other method for venting the smoke.

The cabinets for an outdoor kitchen should be built to resist the elements. This could be custom cabinets, using treated lumber and plywood, or ones made from a weatherproof material such as the polymer based Perma-Panel cabinets from Atlantis Outdoor Kitchens.

Choosing a Grill

Appliances and grills for outdoor kitchens are usually made from stainless steel to make them weatherproof as well. While most grills today are gas fired, cooking with hardwoods—like hickory, pecan, or oak—can produce better results. Using starter sticks, rather than lighter fluid, to light a wood or charcoal fire can improve the taste of the food.

The insulating qualities of ceramic charcoal cookers, like the Big Green Egg, allow them to be used as a conventional grill or as a smoker oven for slow cooking.

Grill Maintenance

Use a wire brush to clean the cooking grate after each use. Once a year, disassemble the grill and clean it thoroughly.

• Remove cooking grates, soak in liquid grill cleaner, scrub with a wire brush, and rinse.
• Take out the ceramic plates or briquettes and clean them with a wire brush.
• Remove the burners and use a wire brush to take off residue and rust.
• Clean out the burner holes by inserting a toothpick into each hole.
• Use a wet/dry vac to vacuum out the inside of the grill.
• Reassemble all the grill components.
• Light the grill and leave it on for a few minutes to burn off any remaining residue.

Keeping Cool

Shade is essential for summer backyard activities. Popular options include:

• Shade arbor: An outdoor arbor covered with vines makes a cool retreat on a hot summer day. Watch our video on How to Build a Backyard Arbor Swing to find out more.
• Extended Roof: Extending the roof of your house to cover a patio works well, though it can be an expensive option.
• Awning: A retractable awning, such as those from SunSetter, is a great way to create shade when and where you need it.


DIY Misting System.

• Misting System: Outdoor misters keep you cool by spraying a fine mist of water in the air. Since cooling occurs when the water evaporates, misting systems work best in climates with low humidity. Misting systems are available as inexpensive DIY Outdoor Cooling Kits as well as portable misting umbrellas that hook to a garden hose.
• Water Feature: The soothing sound of falling water from a fountain or waterfall can make your yard feel like an oasis during a summer heat wave. Premade water features are available, or you can build your own custom water feature for your backyard.

Outdoor Sound System

Speaker disguised as a rock.

A custom outdoor sound system with hidden speakers, like those from BSUN Media, can add a touch of class to your outdoor environment. Use weatherproof speakers dispersed around the yard, alternating between the left and right channel. Speakers can be disguised as rocks or other natural features to blend in with the outdoor environment.

Mosquitoes

ThermaCELL Patio Lantern.

Mosquitoes are not only annoying, they can carry serious diseases such as the West Nile virus. While spray on repellents work, they can be messy to use, have an odor, and bring strong chemicals in direct contact with your skin.

To keep mosquitoes from ruining your time outdoors, consider an area mosquito repellent like those from ThermaCELL. They are available as a patio lantern or appliance. Simply insert the butane cartridge and repellent pad, then turn it on. They provide a 15’x 15’ odorless, mosquito free zone that can keep your outdoor activities bug free for hours.

Green Lawn Care

To make taking care of your lawn easier and more eco-friendly consider:

• Robotic Lawn Mower: Battery powered, rechargeable unmanned mowers, such as the LawnBott can cut 3,000 sq. ft. or more on a single charge. When the battery needs recharging, the mower automatically returns to the charging station, recharges itself, and resumes cutting.
• Eco-Friendly String Trimmer: The Lehr Eco Trimmer has an efficient four-stroke engine that runs on propane. It produces zero emissions and is much quieter than gas powered trimmers. Since there’s no gas tank to fill, it helps reduce the 100,000 gallons of gasoline that are spilled every year filling gas powered engines.

Other Tips from This Episode

Related posts:

• Essentials for Comfort in the Great Outdoors
• Eco-Friendly Wall Paint
• How to Plan and Design an Outdoor Kitchen

There are some spray-on products available for DIY mulch coloring, including Barkbrite Mulch Colorant and Mulch Magic. These products are typically sprayed thinly on top of an existing mulch layer, to refresh faded color on an otherwise sufficient mulch bed. It would be more difficult (and expensive!) to color an entire load of mulch using these products.

At approximately $30 per half-gallon for mulch colorant, your money might be better spent on a more environmentally-friendly solution. You could apply the wood chips as a base layer, then cover it with a very thin layer of the decorative mulch of your choice. That will give you the uniform color and texture you’re seeking, and you can continue with the decorative mulch after the wood chips are gone.

One last thought, the pigments used in mulch colorants, such as iron oxide and carbon black, are generally considered to be nontoxic, although even nontoxic substances should be used sparingly in the lawn and garden. We don’t always know the impact of applying even “natural” products to a fragile ecosystem. If you go this route, follow all package instructions very carefully, use as little as you have to, and make sure the colorant does not come into contact with driveways, lawns, or existing landscape plants unless you want them colored, too!

Further Information

• Using Mulch in Your Garden
• How to Mulch with Grass Clippings

Related posts:

• How to Layer Mulch and Stones
• Starving for Color
• How to Mulch with Grass Clippings

Eco-friendly aspects of the landscaping for this green home include:

• Native Plants: Since they occur naturally in the area, native plants are better suited to the local environment and more resistant to disease. This allows them to require less water, pesticides, and fertilizer.
• Permeable Patio: The flagstone patio has a permeable base of reclaimed, crushed concrete to allow it to serve as a natural drainage area for the backyard. Clumps of mondo grass were planted between the stones to further increase absorbency.
• Irrigation: The SmartLine irrigation system from Weathermatic employs water saving sprinkler heads and a built-in weather station to monitor the moisture in the air and reduce unnecessary watering.

Related posts:

• Environmentally Friendly Way to Mow Your Lawn
• Landscaping Tips for a Bird-Friendly Yard
• (687) Small Town Green: Building an Energy Efficient Home

Retaining walls can be a great way not only to help with erosion and water drainage, but also to create beautiful, usable garden space. And thanks to interlocking, stackable blocks, the project can be completed in a weekend. Building a retaining wall is a tough job, but it’s something most homeowners can handle, as long as you’re able to do some heavy lifting and are willing to get dirty. Here’s what you need to know to build your own stackable retaining wall.

Stackable blocks come in many styles and colors.

Stackable Concrete Blocks

Stackable stones are made of concrete, with a decorative finish on the front and a lip on the back. The lip fits snugly against the block below it, creating an interlocking joint that holds up to pressure, while the decorative front gives an attractive finish. The stones are often slightly wedge-shaped to allow you to create gentle curves. With many styles, thin “topper” stones are also available, to give the wall a finished appearance.

Low retaining walls can also be used to create pleasing curved lines.

Materials Needed

For this project, you will need:

• Work gloves
• Shovel and/or mattock
• Brick chisel and small sledgehammer
• Level
• Wooden stakes
• String and a line level
• Soil tamper
• Gravel (sharp, not rounded) or rock dust
• Landscape fabric (optional)
• Interlocking stackable stones and toppers

Estimating the number of blocks you’ll need is tough. Count on at least one block per linear foot, and count on it taking more blocks than your estimate suggests!

Stackable stones interlock to create a strong joint with a stepped-back effect.

Layout and Planning

• Before you begin, check with your city utilities office, or dial 811 to make sure there aren’t any buried pipes or cables in your digging zone.
• Use a garden hose to lay out a pleasing line for your retaining wall. Mark the ground using flour layout lines or landscape marking paint.

A properly leveled and tamped-down trench is important for building a strong wall.

Digging the Trench

• Along your marked line, carefully dig a trench slightly wider than the blocks (ideally, the width of your soil tamper), and deep enough so the first course of blocks is below ground level. Cut straight down with the shovel keep from disturbing the surrounding soil.

• Make the trench as level as you can, to save time later.
• If your wall goes across a slope, you can dig a series of stepped trenches so that only one course of blocks is below ground.
• Tamp down the bottom of the trench using a soil tamper.
• Add several inches of sharp gravel or rock dust to the bottom of the trench, and use this layer to do your final leveling and tamping.

Burying the first course of stones keeps the wall from sliding or moving.

Laying the First Course

• Start at the edge of the wall that’s most visible, or the edge that butts up against another structure. If your wall goes across a slope, start at the lowest end.
• Position the first stone in your trench. Make sure the stone is level from front to back and side to side. Adjust by lifting the stone and adding more gravel or digging deeper as necessary.
• Hammer wooden stakes in the ground at each end of the trench, and stretch a string between them even with the top of the first stone. Level the string with a line level, and use the string as a guide for laying the rest of the first course.
• Continue laying stones side-by-side along your trench, making sure they are level. Getting the first course right is the key to a successful wall.

The first course goes in carefully with the help of levels and a string guide.

Laying Additional Courses

• Each row of blocks is offset from the one below it. If your wall has straight edges on the ends, start your next course with a block that has been cut in half.

• If you’ve worked hard to make sure everything is level, then this is the fun part. Continue laying courses of stones, making sure the lip of the stone is tight against the stone below it, and also making sure the seams are offset. The front edge will have a slightly “stepped-back” look due to the lips on the stones.
• Periodically check to make sure the stones are level and wobble free.
• Build up the wall to the desired height, and top with topper stones if desired.

Topper stones add a finished look.

            Cross-section view

Backfilling

• To keep your wall clean, spread landscape fabric up against the wall before backfilling.
• Backfill the area behind the wall in layers, with gravel against the wall and fill dirt behind it, firmly tamping down each layer.
• Finish with a layer of topsoil.

This wall is stepped up to fit the contours of the slope.

Further Information

• Retaining Walls (Video)
• White Efflorescence Stains on Retaining Walls
• Building Retaining Wall (PaverSearch)
• How To Build a Stronger Retaining Wall (Reader’s Digest)

Related posts:

• White Efflorescence Stains on Retaining Walls
• How to Build a Patio Planter
• How to Build a Compost Bin

Carl Jauernig of Wausau, Wisconsin, sent us this solution for keeping the grass from growing under a chain link fence.

It is always a chore to keep grass neatly trimmed under a chain link fence, and the fence literally eats up the line on a string trimmer. To solve this problem, notch 2”x 8” treated lumber around the fence posts so it’s centered under the chain link. This simple fix has lasted 21 years and more than paid for itself in work saved. As a bonus, the neighbor’s dog has found that it’s not compatible with his desire to dig out of confinement.