Did you know that your landscaping can have a huge impact on the value of your home? This is something that most people are not aware of but the truth is that new homeowners like that their new house is all ready to be moved into and therefore the landscaping is completed and looking professionally done. The first thing you must understand in regards to landscaping is that bigger is always better and I am going to show you why.

The reason why bigger is always better is because the more vertical items and plant life that you have the more expensive your landscaping is going to look. For instance if you have a few palm trees and a few vertical sculptures then your landscaping will increase the value of your home quite a bit even with the little bit of work or money that was put into it. Full Post…

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“The Vegetable Gardener’s Container Bible: How to Grow a Bounty of Food in Pots, Tubs, and Other Containers” by Edward C. Smith, Storey Publishing, $19.95 paperback, $29.95 hardback, 264 pages

Ratings scale: *** Excellent. ** Good. * Poor.
OVERALL RATING ***

Using the word “bible” in the title of a book ups the ante. It had better be good. Edward C. Smith lives up to the task. He writes confidently, clearly and completely. No one could come away from this book without a more-than-working knowledge of growing vegetables in containers. Smith covers the spectrum from types of containers (the cheaper the better) to profiles of pot-friendly vegetables. Full Post…

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Cece Fourchy is back with another fabulous installment of her At Home blog column on decorating! Leave it to Cece to make at-home bars chic and glamorous. Todays post is teeming with ideas for prepping a bar area with all the necessities, and a few design ideas too, for everyday enjoyment and special occasions alike.

After weeks of flash flood warnings, tornado sirens, and gloomy days that seemingly never end, I think a little bit of warm weather is a welcome trend. While reading the weeks forecast 98 degrees all week I think its safe to say summer is here.

These scorching-hot days get my mind wandering toward sundresses, swimming pools, and a nice cold cocktail.

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It would be unfortunate to lose the distinction between [1] garden design and [2] [3] landscape architecture much as the trend towards [4] interior architecture is actually unfortunate for [5] interior designers. The differences of focus and attention to scale provide a variety of design insights which are not replicated.

Why? Because the rich tradition of garden design is the foundation and a source of inspiration to landscape architecture, to urban design and to city design. In the future we may say more as gardens move from the [6] ground plane to vertical surfaces and [7] roofs.

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