Special Projects

Making your own compost is an easy, rewarding and environmentally-friendly way to give back to the garden – and building bins for compost is a great way to get started! Learn the steps to constructing a compost bin for your back yard.

A potting table provides a convenient spot to transplant seedlings, clean containers, mix fertilizer and perform other messy outdoor tasks. Building your own is a perfect weekend project. Learn how to build a potting table for the garden.

Winter’s the perfect time to plan your garden for the season ahead. Spend those chilly months with the right tools, time and a little research, then come spring you’ll be ready to jump right in with your design – and make this your best growing season yet!

Making a home for plants that like it wet isn’t hard to do. Just grab a shovel, a pond tarp and a weekend, and start digging to create a lovely raised-bed swamp that’ll keep even your thirstiest plants happy.

Outdoor lighting is a great way to enjoy your garden at night – and it helps ensure you can get around safely after hours. Thankfully, installing a 12-volt system isn’t difficult to do – just follow the directions in this simple guide

Commemorative trees are a meaningful way to remember a person or event in your life. Consider dedicating space for a Commemorative Grove, where others can plant trees to create a lovely spot and sit and recall the past and enjoy the shade.

Large or small, an outdoor living space is meant to be functional – and enjoyed. Before creating an outdoor room of your own, think about how you and your family would like to use the space. Here are a few ideas to help give you the room you need.

Adding borders and edging for garden beds is a simple and attractive way to define your inground planting space. Learn how a low line of brick, stone, concrete, plastic or wood can provide a clean look to planting beds, as well as how to build masonry edging.

Rain gardens are becoming popular – and for good reason: They help reduce pollution in our rivers, streams, lakes and oceans, and they’re beautiful features in your yard that nourish themselves with channeled storm water runoff!

Rocks have held sacred places throughout history, from landmarks and memorials to the backbone of Japanese gardening. Take advantage of their past and turn that heavy rock “eyesore” in your yard into a beautiful mini garden that offers seasonal interest and color.

One of the easiest ways to make a path or patio in mild climates is to lay pavers on a bed of sand. Leave enough room between the pavers, and you can stick interesting plants in the gaps.

Planting areas look more unified and attractive with some sort of edging. Looking for a good material to use? Try planting a flower bed of rocks. Learn the easy steps on how to surround a planting bed with natural stone boulders.