| Subject | Date Asked |
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| Brick and mortar planter | 11/16/2008 |
Q: Mr. Radford, I have a new brick and mortar planter, 3 ft. high and 2 ft. wide. I live in a state ...
A: In this case there would be no need to line the planter with anything. However, clearly if you had ...
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| landscaping | 11/1/2008 |
Q: What can I do with the area against my house under the overhang of the second floor. The second ...
A: Sorry that I couldn't get back sooner but I've had to visit the UK this weekend. Ok, this is a very ...
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| oak tree runners? | 10/11/2008 |
Q: This may be out of your geographical area of expertise since I am in central Texas, but here goes. ...
A: Quite honestly any rigid surface, like brick, cement or slabs etc will always be broken by tree ...
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| splashing outside fountain | 10/2/2008 |
Q: Is there a way to slow down the flow of water at the top of the fountain where there is 1/2" tube ...
A: Ok, this isn't the easiest but, depending on how long the fall is, you have a couple options. If ...
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| BLACKTOP | 9/30/2008 |
Q: I don't know if you have knowledge of this situation .we had blacktop put in backyard and a ...
A: I understand your situation and I feel that you have little choice but to use blacktop, especially ...
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| Pruning old Spruce Trees | 9/22/2008 |
Q: We have row of spruce trees growing on an slope Many of these trees have two major off shoot ...
A: I have been mulling over the word 'thinning' in your question. If you mean to remove some of the ...
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| A good partner for Asiatic lilies | 9/22/2008 |
Q: Not sure if this question is in your area of expertise, but I was wondering if you could help me. I ...
A: Dahlias dahlias dahlias that's all I can suggest then maybe Michaelmas daisies, Euphorbia characias ...
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| design issue | 9/14/2008 |
Q: a small dilemma with the rear of my house. Outside my kitchen door, there is two steps down to an ...
A: I think that a combination of all 3 of your current alternatives would be the wisest alternative. ...
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| plants for patio porch | 9/10/2008 |
Q: Can you recommend low maintenance plants for apartment porches? I have a sunny and a shaded side, ...
A: Sorry for the delay but I spilt some liquid on my pc so i was offline for a while- I would ...
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| Lawn care | 9/5/2008 |
Q: I tried to get a potassium based fertilizer as well as soil, sand, and peat mixture from OSH ...
A: Yes, the number of Potassium should be the first on the list of contents and therefore, meaning that ...
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| pond building | 9/2/2008 |
Q: I would like to build a large pond in my back yard with some kind of waterfall feature and in the ...
A: Pond building is a complicated affair and it would not be easy to explain everything in just a short ...
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| RE: Fence options | 8/27/2008 |
Q: Trying to gather information about building a fence. First should I use concrete or dirt to secure ...
A: sorry if I couldn't get back to you earlier but its holiday season here. Ok, To secure fence posts ...
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| Landscaping/gardening | 8/23/2008 |
Q: I have some damp coming through the walls at the front of my house and a plumber suggested that it ...
A: sorry if I didn't get bak to you earlier. Firstly, I think you will need use a 'French' drain ...
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| slope yard | 8/18/2008 |
Q: we have a slope yard and we would like to know the best way to even out the ground,so that we put up ...
A: By far the easiest way to even out the ground is to create terraces. These can be created using the ...
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| flagstone walkway | 8/14/2008 |
Q: I am laying a dry set flagstone walkway at the entrance to my home. What exactly do I place in the ...
A: Use a large-gravel base and then lay the flags on a sand/cement mix of around 3:1 and use the same ...
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| flagstone walkway | 8/13/2008 |
Q: I am laying a dry set flagstone walkway at the entrance to my home. What exactly do I place in the ...
A: A dry sand/cement mix is by far the most versatile of all the pointing techniques. However, if your ...
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| Cheap durable retaining wall | 8/10/2008 |
Q: I have a quick question for you. I am building a new home and need to build a retaining wall (2-3 ...
A: In my opinion the easiest solution is simply to use a reinforced concrete wall, if the wall will ...
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| Regrading help | 8/8/2008 |
Q: Good afternoon! I currently live in a beautiful house with a horrible yard. In fact, the joke is ...
A: Why not try terracing your slope? It's the oldest and most effective way of levelling a slope and, ...
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| backyard dirt | 8/6/2008 |
Q: I have a backyard that the lawn is dead (there is a watering system in place and have not used it in ...
A: Try this grass http://www.google.com/search?hl=it&q=grass+cynodon+dactylon&btnG=Cerca&lr= it's ...
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| Flagstone walkway | 7/31/2008 |
Q: Jonathan: I live in the Palm Desert area where the wind is an everyday factor. My landscaper laid ...
A: Please... for the sake of our lovely planet, do not use muriatic acid to remove the silicon ...
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| Flagstone walkway | 7/29/2008 |
Q: Jonathan: I live in the Palm Desert area where the wind is an everyday factor. My landscaper laid ...
A: May I ask what the main purpose of treating the area with a silicon treatment actualy is? I realise ...
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| pond building | 7/27/2008 |
Q: and hav covered a number of projects over the years, but never really built a pond until a friend of ...
A: ok.. well, make sure that you firstly build a shape in the soil (a ledge) line the whole area so ...
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| pond building | 7/27/2008 |
Q: and hav covered a number of projects over the years, but never really built a pond until a friend of ...
A: I don't fully understand where the bricks that you are referring to will be placed. The only place ...
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| Dwarf Japanese Maple Tree Problem | 7/18/2008 |
Q: I purchased a dwarf red japanese maple tree in April,2008. I live in Kenosha,Wisconsin.The tree is ...
A: Japanese maples prefer a semi-shaded position. Therefore the south-facing position that your's has ...
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| surrounding well with stones | 7/16/2008 |
Q: We have an old covered well in our backyard that sits above ground about 12". I'd like to encircle ...
A: Yes, unfortunately you will need to construct a footing for the stones, especially if they are ever ...
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| Retaining wall repair | 7/11/2008 |
Q: Is it possible to repair a 2x12 wooden retaining wall without taking it out and starting afresh? ...
A: I would say that this a great time to get rid of the wood and either place some large rocks or build ...
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| exterior front stairs | 7/6/2008 |
Q: Help I have two questions and I truly how you answer back. First I'm having my in desperate needed ...
A: I think that a black coloured flooring would be great against a white-framed house. Try to find a ...
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| Can you help me whit my lawn? | 7/4/2008 |
Q: Ciao, Parli Italiano? I donot know if you can help whit a problem whit my lown. We're in Maryland ...
A: Fertilise with Potassium in the fall, when the leaves drop as it is only absorbed in this period. ...
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| Can you help me whit my lawn? | 7/4/2008 |
Q: Ciao, Parli Italiano? I donot know if you can help whit a problem whit my lown. We're in Maryland ...
A: Its unlikely that the lawn is actually dead. You can't water a lawn during the heat of the day as ...
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| Can you help me whit my lawn? | 7/4/2008 |
Q: Ciao, Parli Italiano? I donot know if you can help whit a problem whit my lown. We're in Maryland ...
A: Ciao Mirella... si, parlo anche l'Italiano Vediamo cosa possiamo fare... I think what you need to ...
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| MAJOR water retaining | 7/2/2008 |
Q: I am ready to move back in with my mother. I purchased a house this winter and with snow melting and ...
A: You need to install a french drain and a suitable soakaway area, made by digging a hole, filling it ...
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| bamboo | 6/30/2008 |
Q: Any advice for eradicating bamboo? We live in Northern Virginia and have an uncontrolled patch near ...
A: the only really effective way of eradicating bamboo is to first dig up the root systems (to almost a ...
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| backyard | 6/29/2008 |
Q: I have a small backyard in NYC, for the last few years I simply covered the ground (earth) with ...
A: The first solution that springs to mind is a gravel garden with an Italianate feel. However, I guess ...
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| Laying Rocks | 6/25/2008 |
Q: I have a rectangle section on the side of my house near my drive way that I want to do something ...
A: If you are laying gravel you will need to lay some builder's nylon underneath. However if you wish ...
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| raised beds against the foundation | 6/24/2008 |
Q: Do I need to put plastic or something between the dirt and the foundation of the house with a 18 ...
A: the answer is most definitely 'yes' unfortunately! Anything that bridges the damp course in a ...
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| Appropriate watering times for southern California | 6/23/2008 |
Q: Hope you are doing well! I have a question regarding the appropriate time of day to water and how ...
A: Hell LJ It would be advisable to water the garden during the early hours of the morning to avoid ...
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| Gravel path over tree roots | 6/18/2008 |
Q: I'm about to begin a gravel path to my backyard wildlife habitat. The path must cross two major ...
A: I feel that your only options are to cover them completely or expose them and make a feature of ...
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| Good outdoor, low lighting,low maintenance plants | 6/18/2008 |
Q: I live in a ground floor apartment. I have a roughly 4x12ft space that currently has just small ...
A: I would go for a fern garden, mixed with a wide variety of Hostas, convallaria (lili of the valley) ...
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| painting a bird bath | 6/11/2008 |
Q: I recently found a beautiful but neglected bird bath. I tnink its made of tara cota. What should I ...
A: if the bird bath really is made of terracotta (cooked earth) then it really shouldn't be painted- ...
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| Screening | 5/31/2008 |
Q: I live in a corner lot and have a backyard exposed to all my neighbors across the street...no ...
A: cypress trees do suffer from a bacterial canker that can cause them to die slowly from the top. ...
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| cypress mulch | 5/30/2008 |
Q: The one and only time I have ever used cypress mulch (purchased from Home Depot) I had a very weird ...
A: the orange 'eggs' were almost certainly fungal spores that are released from the fungi (mushrooms) ...
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| PRUNING | 5/29/2008 |
Q: i wonder if you can help me with a little problem i have? I would like some advice on correctly how ...
A: I assume that you mean Spanish broom (Spartium junceum) If so, it can be hard-pruned in March to ...
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| killing grass on bricks | 5/25/2008 |
Q: We have a large brick patio that is almost covered in grass. The bricks are not mortared. There is ...
A: the only ecological method to kill off the grass would be that of covering the whole area with black ...
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| grass | 5/23/2008 |
Q: I am hoping you can help. We bought a new home that had been sodded in the previous year but had ...
A: firstly, it is highly unlikely that the sods suffered from the frost- the most likely cause is ...
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| SAGO PALMS | 5/20/2008 |
Q: HOW DO YOU PLANT A SAGO PALM, I HEARD THAT YOU DON'T BURY IT ALL THE WAY, I HAVE A 5 INCH PLANT ...
A: don't fuss too much- treat it like a normal plant i.e. don't plant it too deep and don't leave it ...
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| front landscape | 5/18/2008 |
Q: The landscape of the front of my house looks so naked (typical of new subdivision houses). Please ...
A: the design looks fine to me but could be lacking evergreen structure. The design should have a ...
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| Does a graded lawn need time to "settle"? | 5/15/2008 |
Q: I hired a contractor to clear, grade and sod my property. He cleared it, said it was graded and put ...
A: it could be that the soil structure has been ruined by heavy machinerey, if there was any. However, ...
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| formal garden design of a specific logo with plants | 5/12/2008 |
Q: I am interested in doing a motif design with plants that will keep the shape of the motif design. A ...
A: the plant that I suggested for the evergreen hedging is the smallest, lowest-growing hedging plant ...
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| formal garden design of a specific logo with plants | 5/11/2008 |
Q: I am interested in doing a motif design with plants that will keep the shape of the motif design. A ...
A: firstly it is fundamental to establish the design that wish to create on paper first. A scale ...
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| evergreen base | 5/8/2008 |
Q: we have decorative red shale rock around base of our huge evergreen tree, and among our shrubs/tree ...
A: the pine needles will continue to fall so I would suggest placing bark mulch (wood chippings) as ...
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| monkey grass | 5/7/2008 |
Q: I sprayed what I was told an equal(speed zone) to vantage on my monkey grass and I had a lot of ...
A: sorry but because I am English I don't know what monkey grass is or exactly what you have sprayed on ...
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| plants under trees | 5/4/2008 |
Q: We have a three hundred year old house with big trees, not a large garden. I cannot get anything to ...
A: plants find it very much harder to get established when planted under the canopy of any tree due to ...
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| proper drainage | 4/28/2008 |
Q: My homes ventilation vents are in the second row,from the ground, of the concrete block foundation. ...
A: Ok, I would recommend that you firstly lay a nylon fabric (the kind that you'll find in a builder's ...
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| weed killer | 4/26/2008 |
Q: The weed killer that I have always bought is quite expensive and gets used up quite fast. Can you ...
A: firstly it depends what kind of weedkiller you are referring to. There are selective weedkillers ...
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| removing grass | 4/19/2008 |
Q: I want to remove grass from my front yard to grow vegetables as that place has max sunlight. please ...
A: firstly, you will have to remove the grass by sliding a digging spade just a couple of inches under ...
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| lots of water in my yard | 4/14/2008 |
Q: When it rains the back of my yard and part of the right side of my yard fills up with water. The ...
A: the only way to deal with this problem is simply to install a land drain. This means digging a long ...
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| sloping ground | 4/13/2008 |
Q: I'd like to plant a herb garden on steeply sloping ground. I think I've seen a material to hold the ...
A: sorry, I don't know of what you were referring to exactly. However, by far the best solution would ...
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| Dead spot | 4/12/2008 |
Q: We previously had an above ground pool 18' that had a dark linear underneath it. We have gotten rid ...
A: if the dead spot is small enough just flick (dig) over the soil to a depth of around 2 to 3" Apply ...
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| Renovating my terraced Yard in Northern England | 4/12/2008 |
Q: I have lived in a small terraced house in Darlington since 1995: I have a large walled rear yard ...
A: I have been out of the UK now for nearly 15 years and it's only now that I am beginning to do ...
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| removing grass | 4/10/2008 |
Q: What would be the quickest way to remove grass so I can start my flowerbed in front of my house? Do ...
A: the quickest and most effective way to remove grass would be with a hebicide (spray) but the ...
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| wildlife friendly solution for challenging garden | 4/5/2008 |
Q: Hope you can offer some practical advise to a novice gardener. We would like to transform our small ...
A: why not plant some ground cover plants that like the shade? You could create swathes of colour by ...
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| sound barrier | 4/2/2008 |
Q: we have a narrow backyard (20ft) and a neighbor who plays their boom box loudly while swimming laps. ...
A: the best protection against noise, since time began, is still air. This means that a wooden fence, ...
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| Slope | 3/25/2008 |
Q: My yard slopes to the house and when it rains we have alot of water. We have a patio in the back so ...
A: the best method would be a corrugated plastic pipe laid in a trench and then filled with gravel. I ...
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| Ground Covers for Walking Paths | 3/23/2008 |
Q: We live in zone 7A and have a path around the back yard that was used by a previous owner's dog to ...
A: unfortunately there really arent any ground cover plants that can resist the passing of feet, even ...
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| Ground Cover for Front Yard Slope | 3/13/2008 |
Q: The slope in my front yard gets afternoon sun. I've planted it three times in the last three years. ...
A: Ceratostigma plumbaginoides is an interesting ground cover and is often listed in books for ground ...
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| Ground Cover for Front Yard Slope | 3/12/2008 |
Q: The slope in my front yard gets afternoon sun. I've planted it three times in the last three years. ...
A: I think that the periwinkle probably suffered during the first year- it, every kind of plant, must ...
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| Drainage | 3/10/2008 |
Q: My husband and I bought a new house last August. We noticed some drainage issues and addressed them ...
A: sorry to hear that you are having such problems- very frustrating indeed! As a garden designer I ...
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| screening the neighbor's house | 2/23/2008 |
Q: I live in NE PA (zone 5A). I'm trying to screen our west property line from the neighbor's house. I ...
A: Regarding trees I would use maybe a salix alba (white willow) or a Populus alba (white poplar) and ...
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| noise reduction in exterior space | 2/17/2008 |
Q: Your question was We have a condo in Mexico that consists of 3 bldgs. in a u-shape design with a ...
A: it is very true that planting trees shrubs etc will reduce noise. However best effects are obtained ...
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| homemade mortar | 2/17/2008 |
Q: I already got some good advice from this webpage and have started my river rock raised gardens beds. ...
A: as I always say "There is nothing more modern than the past" meaning that the old methods were not ...
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| addhoc landscaping | 1/18/2008 |
Q: I am a trained industrial designer and sculptor with more than 25 years of working expereience here ...
A: I think that you are making the right move by moving towards nature as a design inspiration- you ...
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| aggregate rock patio | 1/17/2008 |
Q: I believe it is made of aggregate rock. There are a few faded places and I wanted to improve the ...
A: There are clearly many options for a space of this kind. One could relay the patio in a natural ...
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